Among all the outbreaks of the cycle, the current one has the second place.
On the night of October 2, sunspot AR3842 gave birth to especially powerful flash. It is assigned category X7.1, class X goes to the strongest flashes. The flare energy is directed towards the Earth.
Among all the flares recorded in the current solar cycle, the sunspot flare AR3842 ranks second in power. The first place belongs to the flare that occurred on July 27, but its energy passed by the Earth.
The Oct. 2 flare is expected to cause a G3 geomagnetic storm, a class assigned to strong but not record-breaking storms. The flare has already caused a brief blackout of shortwave radio communications, but the geomagnetic storm will occur later: October 4-5.
Most likely, the energy of a solar flare will cause northern lights in some regions of the Earth. It is still difficult to say how widespread they will be.
Powerful solar flares will occur more frequently in the coming months as the star approaches the peak of its 11-year activity cycle. The maximum of the current solar cycle may fall in 2025, and closer to 2030 solar activity will drop to a minimum.
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