SLOW SOLAR FLARE: Solar flares occur when magnetic fields get tangled. Lines of magnetic force above sunspots criss, cross, and explode in a flash of electromagnetic radiation. This process, called "magnetic reconnection", usually happens in a matter of minutes. Earlier today (June 7th), NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory witnessed an explosion that took two hours to unfold. This leisurely C1-class solar flare happened in the magnetic canopy of sunspot AR2661. Often, slow explosions like this one

X-flare! Extra-large solar flare - blasted out today (17:37 UTC) from sunspot AR2975 - is already causing radio blackouts. Powerful X-class flares can cause devastating geomagnetic storms - it's too early to know the extent of this flare's upcoming effects on Earth. | EarthSky