MOSCOW, January 31. /TASS/. The formation of a large active region is observed on the Sun; if the area continues to grow, flares of the highest class X are possible within 24 hours, the Solar Astronomy Laboratory of the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IKI RAS) and the Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences reported.
"At the northeastern edge of the star, where there were almost no sunspots this morning, a new large active region is rapidly forming. Against this backdrop, the solar X-ray flux has increased by around 500% since this morning and is currently approaching the M-class threshold. By the end of the day, strong flares are expected to occur, and if the area of the sunspot group continues to grow at the same rate, the first X-level flares may occur within the next 24 hours," the report said.