https://sputniknews.com/environment/201709081057225506-mystery-solar-flare-expert-commentary/

'Colossal' Energy Source of Solar Flares 'Tormenting Earth' Stumps Astronomers

The sun shot out another massive solar flare at 8:00 GMT Friday, according to a solar activity graph by the Laboratory of Solar X-Ray Astronomy at Russia's Lebedev Physical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The X-class solar flare, the biggest class of solar flare there is, was nearly ten times more intense than scientists expected.

Friday's solar flare follows a series of eruptions which started earlier this week, beginning with five minor M-class events, and continuing Wednesday with a pair of X-class and X9.3-class flares which scientists said were the largest events on record since 2006. Experts said the solar activity was a consequence of changes on the star observed over the last three days. Two large groups of sunspots first accumulated an enormous amount of energy, and then emitted it via the flares.