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[Music]

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solar flares may seem like faraway

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events but they can damage satellites

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and even ground-based technologies and

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power grids every 11 years as the Sun

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reaches its maximum activity they become

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bigger and more common and that

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increases the chances that one will

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significantly affect earth so what are

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these solar eruptions a solar flare is

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basically an explosion on the surface of

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the Sun ranging from minutes to hours in

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length large flares can release enough

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energy to power the entire United States

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for a million years

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flares happen when the powerful magnetic

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fields in and around the Sun reconnect

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they're usually associated with active

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regions often seen as sunspots where the

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magnetic fields are strongest flares are

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classified according to their strength

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the smallest ones are B Class followed

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by C M and X the largest similar to the

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Richter scale for earthquakes each

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letter represents a tenfold increase in

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energy output so an X is ten times an M

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and a hundred times a C within each

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letter class there's a finer scale from

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one to nine c-class flares are too weak

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to noticeably affect earth m-class

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flares can cause brief radio blackouts

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at the poles and minor radiation storms

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that might endanger astronauts

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it's the x-class flares that are the

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real juggernauts

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although X is the last letter there are

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flares more than ten times the power of

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an x one so x-class flares can go higher

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than nine the most powerful flare on

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record was in 2003 during the last solar

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maximum it was so powerful that it

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overloaded the sensors measuring it

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they cut out at x17 and the flare was

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later estimated to be about x45 a

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powerful x-class flare like that can

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create long-lasting radiation storms

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which can harm satellites and even get

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airline passengers flying near the polls

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small radiation doses X flares also have

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the potential to create global

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transmission problems and worldwide

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blackouts the seriousness of an x-class

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flare pointed at earth is why NASA and

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NOAA constantly monitor the Sun NASA's

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heliophysics fleet of spacecraft can now

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see the Sun from every side and in many

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different wavelengths this unprecedented

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coverage in abling scientists to predict

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and detect space weather events like

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flares and CMEs with ever greater

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accuracy with advanced warning

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governments and companies can take steps

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to protect their technological