Put The Camera Phones Down For Now

Whereas usually the only people who see the Northern Lights are the few hardy souls and polar bears of the Arctic Circle, last weekend the Sun spat out a flare so large that even people as down as the
South Coast of England were able to see one of natures most impressive phenomenons.
The usual Solar Flares which are emitted by the Sun and only visible to the lucky few are of the A, B, C and M variety but occasionally the Sun gets it full paddy on and coughs up an extreme X-class flare such as the one last week which was an X2 and had a million camera phones pointing up to the night sky but the Sun is in the peak of its 11 year Solar Cycle and the European Space Agency are saying we could expect some more and no sooner said then done, on Tuesday the Sun spits out what has been measured as an X8.7, four times bigger than the one which so delighted everyone at the weekend.
The not so good news is the direction it came out of the Suns surface at because rather than hit us straight in the face like the last one, this one was emitted as the Sun was rotating away from us so we won't be seeing it lighting up the Sky unfortunately, the ESA putting out a statement that due to its location, this flare will likely NOT have any geomagnetic impacts on Earth.
The good news is that the current cycle, which began in late 2019, is predicted to reach its peak in July 2025 and as we approach it, we can expect more frequent and intense solar events, potentially leading to more opportunities to witness the awe-inspiring northern lights.
The largest ever Solar Flare came in 2003 and was so strong the X-ray detectors failed when they got to X17 but scientists estimate that it reached x28 strength but it only delivered a glancing blow to Earth as it shot down the side of us at a speedy 4,473,873 mph.
The proper name for a solar flare is a Coronal Mass Ejections which sounds like one of those films that should come in brown paper bags and be carried by shifty looking men in raincoats and they are not dangerous to us but  they can play havoc with electrical systems and can disrupt radio transmissions and cause damage to satellites and electrical transmission line facilities, resulting in potentially massive and long-lasting power outages.
So if your radio starts crackling or your lights flickering, it could be due to a coronal mass ejection. If you hear heavy breathing coming from that mac wearing neighbour it is probably another type of mass ejection we really shouldn't think too much about.