Sun erupts with powerful X2.3 solar flare, causing radio blackout (video)

The sun erupted this morning with a class X2.3 solar flare, causing radio blackouts

The sun swirls towards the surface. It was the strongest eruption yet in the sunspot region.

According to Spaceweather.comit is waiting for scientists to receive data from coronagraph about the joint NASA/European Space Agency Solar and Heliosphere Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft to determine whether a coronal mass ejection (CME) will impact Earth. CMEs consist of magnetic field and plasma plumes and if they reach our planet they could lead to a geomagnetic storm that could potentially result in auroras, also called the aurora borealis or the northern lights.

a bright flash of light on a wavy, blurry-looking background — On November 6, 2024, an X-class solar flare will erupt from the Sun. (Image credit: NASA/SDO/Helioviewer)

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Solar flares are ranked on a four-level rating scale, with each class being ten times stronger than the class below it. X-class flares are the most powerful, with the class being M-class. The number associated with the letter represents the strength of the individual eruption, which in this case was a 2.3.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC), the eruption topped out at an R3-strong level on the space weather scale. This scale is specific to radio interference and indicates the different types of effects that solar flares can have on Earth.

a map of the Earth with a yellow and green spot above the Atlantic Ocean

An illustration of areas affected by radio degradation due to a solar flare on November 6, 2024. (Image credit: NOAA/SWPC)

In this case, with such an intense amount of ultraviolet (UV) radiation accompanying the eruption, a shortwave radio blackout ensued that disrupted high-frequency radio signals for several parts of the Atlantic Ocean in the Southern Hemisphere, including in South America and Africa.

SWPC forecasters say the sun isn’t getting sleepy yet. There remains a higher chance that more rounds of solar flares will erupt with the power of R1-R2 (Minor to Moderate) and there is still a chance for more events at the R3 (Strong) level.

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