News Excerpt: 

Four solar flares erupt simultaneously  in a rare celestial event, possibly heralding in the Sun’s dynamic 11-year cycle.

More about news: 

• The sight of “sympathetic solar flares” in different regions of the star was captured by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, showing complex magnetic interactions.
• The four-part eruption began, originating from three sunspots and a large magnetic filament
• Each of the blast sites were separated by hundreds of thousands of miles and the area between them covered around a third of the solar surface facing Earth.
• The concurrent blasts were part of one single eruption, known as a sympathetic solar flare.

What are sympathetic flares?

• Sympathetic flares are caused by multiple eruptions across the Sun’s magnetic field, linked by massive magnetic field loops that lie above the solar surface. 
• When one spot detonates, others follow suit. This leads to coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and massive bursts of plasma.
• Such solar activity is likely an indication of the Sun reaching the peak of its 11-year solar cycle known as solar maximum. 
• The peak is marked by increased solar events like flares and CMEs.
• This is the third sympathetic solar flare this year, following a pair of explosions in January and a duo of X-class flares in March.

Why is this event rare?

• Most sympathetic flares reported so far include two linked flares, ranging from small outbursts to X-class flares, the most powerful class of solar flares the sun can produce.
• The emission of four flares in unison makes this event super-sympathetic.

How can they impact Earth?

• If directed towards the Earth, they have the potential to,
  • Disrupt power grids
  • Telecommunication networks 
  • Orbiting satellites 
  • Expose astronauts to dangerous doses of radiation
  • Minor class G1 geomagnetic storms could also illuminate skies at lower latitudes with auroras.