A strong X2.3-class photo voltaic flare erupted from sunspot AR 3883 on Wednesday, November 6, 2024, at 8:40 a.m. ET (1340 UTC). This marks the strongest flare launched by this sunspot area to date. The flare, which is among the many most intense photo voltaic occasions, was accompanied by excessive ranges of ultraviolet radiation, resulting in shortwave radio blackouts in areas throughout the southern hemisphere. These radio disruptions had been most notable in components of South America and Africa.
Potential for Affect from Coronal Mass Ejection
Scientists are awaiting knowledge from the Photo voltaic and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), a joint NASA and European House Company spacecraft, to evaluate whether or not a coronal mass ejection (CME) will have an effect on Earth. CMEs are massive eruptions of plasma and magnetic fields from the solar’s corona that, if directed at Earth, can result in geomagnetic storms. These storms can produce auroras, such because the aurora borealis, but additionally disrupt satellite tv for pc communications and energy grids.
Photo voltaic flares are labeled on a four-level scale, with X-class flares being probably the most highly effective. The X2.3 flare is classed as a “robust” occasion, in response to the House Climate Prediction Middle (SWPC) of the Nationwide Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This flare triggered an R3 (robust) degree radio blackout on the House Climate Scale, affecting high-frequency radio indicators throughout the Atlantic Ocean.
Ongoing Photo voltaic Exercise Anticipated
The SWPC has indicated that additional photo voltaic flare exercise is probably going, with an elevated probability of R1-R2 (minor to average) flares. There stays a risk of extra robust occasions, just like the X2.3 flare, over the approaching days because the solar continues to be in its photo voltaic most section. This section, a part of Photo voltaic Cycle 25, is predicted to deliver elevated photo voltaic exercise all through 2024 and 2025.