Release of an X1 solar flare from the active region AR2994. Solar flares are dense clouds of plasma, or ionised gas, in the Suns outer layer, the corona. Upon erupting, the flares become part of the solar wind. They may be associated with strong magnetic activity inside the Sun, and some flares are powerful enough that, on reaching Earth, they can disrupt telecommunications and satellite systems. Solar flares can extend hundreds of thousands of kilometres into space. X class solar flares are the most intense. Captured on 30 April 2022 from the Alqueva Dark Sky Reserve, Portugal.