Powerful X-class solar flare recorded on June 18

A powerful solar flare of the highest X-class was detected on the Sun early Wednesday, Russian space weather agencies said.

The X1.3-class flare, the strongest in nearly three weeks, was recorded at 00:49 Moscow time (01:49 Baku time), according to the Solar Activity Monitoring Center, cited by TASS.

The Applied Geophysics Institute confirmed the flare and said it lasted for 16 minutes.

Solar flares are categorized into five classes based on the intensity of X-ray emissions: A, B, C, M, and X. Each successive class represents a tenfold increase in intensity. X-class flares are the most intense and can trigger geomagnetic storms if associated plasma clouds reach Earth.