The Sun has broken a new record for continuous radio wave transmissions, blasting a powerful signal four times longer than any other similar phenomenon ever recorded.<\/p>\n
Data from the cosmic outburst, published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters<\/a>, details the record-breaking event, which lasted from August 21st to September 9th of 2025 \u2014 setting a record of 19 full days.<\/p>\n To be fair to the Sun, it\u2019s entirely possible \u2014 very likely, really \u2014 that this has happened before. What makes the event stand out is the fact that we\u2019ve been able to observe it for the first time in human history, using craft from four various NASA missions to record radio waves produced by electrons trapped within the star\u2019s magnetic field.<\/p>\n According to IFL Science<\/a>, the rare Sun communique was first spotted by the Solar Orbiter<\/a>, a Sun-observing satellite launched by the European Space Agency and NASA in 2020. Normally, that would\u2019ve been the end of it, as the longest previously recorded Sun-burst lasted just five days.<\/p>\n However, 12 days after the Solar Orbiter made its recordings, NASA\u2019s Parker Solar Probe<\/a> observed the same radio burst, along with the agency\u2019s Wind spacecraft<\/a>, which is designed to observe solar winds in transit to Earth. They were soon followed by NASA\u2019s STEREO-A<\/a> craft, which was used to track the source of the radio blast to a funnel-type structure in the outermost layer of the Sun\u2019s atmosphere.<\/p>\n Fortunately, this type of radio blast is harmless, unlike some other types of solar events which can knock out satellites<\/a> or have devastating health effects on astronauts<\/a>.<\/p>\n Still, the data collected during the event represents a veritable treasure trove for scientists, whose work on space weather could be crucial for predicting the kinds of Sun events that may actually pose a threat.<\/p>\n