The Sun has continued to release powerful solar flares. A huge X-flare erupted on Tuesday, resulting in a radio blackout in North America.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported power disruptions throughout North America at approximately 12:51 p.m. ET. Classified as an X8.8, this solar flare was the strongest of the cycle that began in 2017. According to NOAA, it was a radio blackout level 3 (R3) on a scale of one to five.
The sunspot that has been pounding our globe for the past few days is the same size as the one that produced the greatest solar storm in recorded history.
"As for the big X-flare, it's the biggest of the cycle thus far," said space weather physicist Dr Tamitha Skov. "It would have been our first R4-level radio blackout, but it was partially blocked by the Sun."
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