00:00The Sun will reach its solar maximum in mid-2025, but as it approaches, our solar system's center is getting wilder and wilder.
00:12Already this year, astronomers have been treated to some crazy activity, beginning the year with a series of X- and M-class flares.
00:18But recently, this happened.
00:20It's something solar physicists say they've never witnessed before, as a filament of plasma jettisoned from the solar surface before separating and swirling into a fiery vortex.
00:29And it seems that was just the beginning.
00:31Days later, another giant solar vortex took shape, though solar physicist Scott McIntosh says this one was maybe more typical and a lot less swirly.
00:38But that was seemingly just the overture, as the whole thing eventually lifted off into space.
00:43While it no doubt looks dramatic in its own right, here's a photo of a solar flare with the Earth as a reference point to see just how gargantuan these events are.
00:50Experts say we shouldn't be worried about these particular events since they're occurring on the Sun's North Pole, but solar flares have been known to affect Earth.
00:57In fact, an X-class flare that jettisoned from the Sun just last week knocked out radio communications in South America.
01:03And this is just a taste of what we can expect when the Sun reaches its 11-year solar maximum soon.
01:16It all comes to the Sun's Earth.
01:18We'll be sure the Sun reaches its 11-year solar flare.
01:21We'll be sure to see now and check it out.
01:23We'll be sure it's good.
01:25Come out here and see you next week.
01:28Be sure to see you.
01:29It'll be great!
