NASA confirms the Sun's recent record-breaking solar fare is Earth-directed

NASA has taken to its website to confirm the Sun emitting a massive solar flare on December 12, 2023, and while it's not headed for Earth directly, it does have an Earth-directed component.

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, which is constantly monitoring the Sun for events such as these, is operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center, which confirmed the Sun released a powerful X2.8-class solar flare - the strongest solar flare of this current cycle (Solar Cycle 25) and the most powerful eruption the Sun has produced since September 2017.

Additionally, NOAA wrote on its website an update about the solar flare, saying, "This is likely one of the largest solar radio events ever recorded," with radio communication interference being "felt from one end of the nation to the other. Furthermore, NOAA adds that it is currently evaluating possible Coronal Mass Ejections (CME) that could be associated with the solar flare and will provide updates after the analysis has been conducted.

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SpaceWeather.com reports, "Although this CME is not squarely aimed at Earth, it does appear to have an Earth-directed component. A glancing blow is likely on December 17."