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Space
Space
Science
Daisy Dobrijevic

Sun unleashes extraordinary solar flare barrage as new volatile sunspot turns toward Earth

View of the colossal x-flare eruption from the sun, in the background is earth and there is a graphic of a flare image in the upper left corner.

The sun has erupted in a relentless barrage of powerful solar flares over the past 24 hours, firing off at least 18 M-class flares and three X-class flares, including an X8.3 eruption — the strongest solar flare of 2026 so far. Solar flares are ranked by strength from A, B and C up to M and X, with each letter representing a tenfold increase in energy — meaning X-class flares are the most powerful explosions the sun can produce.

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