The sun erupts with one of the largest solar flares of this solar cycle in this multi-colored NASA photo taken on Tuesday. This flare was categorized as an X5.4, making it the second largest flare since early 2007. The current increase in the number of X-class flares is part of the sun’s normal 11-year solar cycle, during which activity on the sun ramps up to solar maximum, which is expected to peak in late 2013. |
