Suggested Searches

Solar Cycle 25

Categories

Sun Releases 4 Strong Solar Flares

The Sun emitted three strong solar flares on Feb. 1, peaking at 7:33 a.m. ET, 6:37 p.m. ET, and 7:36 p.m. ET. The Sun emitted a fourth strong solar flare on Feb. 2, peaking at 3:14 a.m. ET. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, which watches the Sun constantly, captured images of the events. 

Four side by side images of the upper left area of the Sun. The images are golden against a black background. They are labeled X1.0, X8.1, X2.8, and X1.6 from left to right. In each image, there is a bright white flash in the upper area, in the same spot on each image.
NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured these images of the solar flares — seen as the bright flashes in the center of the images — on Feb. 1 and Feb. 2, 2026. The images show a subset of extreme ultraviolet light that highlights the extremely hot material in flares and which is colorized in gold and red.
NASA/SDO

Solar flares are powerful bursts of energy. Flares and solar eruptions can impact radio communications, electric power grids, navigation signals, and pose risks to spacecraft and astronauts.    

The first flare is classified as an X1.0 flare. The second is classified as an X8.1, and the third is classified as an X2.8. The fourth flare is classified as an X1.6. X-class denotes the most intense flares, while the number provides more information about its strength.

To see how such space weather may affect Earth, please visit NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center https://spaceweather.gov/, the U.S. government’s official source for space weather forecasts, watches, warnings, and alerts. NASA works as a research arm of the nation’s space weather effort. NASA observes the Sun and our space environment constantly with a fleet of spacecraft that study everything from the Sun’s activity to the solar atmosphere, and to the particles and magnetic fields in the space surrounding Earth.