Massive solar flares erupt from the Sun sparking radio blackout and NASA warning

A huge solar flare from the Sun may have caused radio blackouts last week, NASA experts have warned.

Global communications have already been disrupted as a result of the flare, specifically in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, where R3-level radio blackouts have been experienced.

The flare originated from sunspot AR4087 and peaked on May 14 at around 8:35 AM (GMT), as per the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC), while NASA has been observing and recording the X2.7 solar flare from its Solar Dynamics Observatory.

It occurred in an area of the Sun that has been turning towards Earth and is one of the strongest ones that have occurred since March, and the SWPC noted how solar flares of this size are uncommon.

To put it in perspective, there are classification levels by which solar flares are graded (A, B, C, M, and X), and there's a tenfold boost in emitted energy for each level, Space.com reported.

iStockphoto by Getty Images

No coronal mass ejections (CMEs) hit Earth from this flare on this occasion - CMEs being large expulsions of plasma and magnetic field from the Sun's corona (outermost atmosphere) that have the potential to spark geomagnetic storms.

In the hours before the X2.7 solar flare, there were other flares that occurred, including a M5.3-class

For added context, the Sun presently is at its solar maximum, whereby it is experiencing its highest amount of solar activity within its 11-year solar cycle.

"This is getting intense, especially as this active region turns closer into view," warned aurora expert, Vincent Ledvina, on X, formerly Twitter.

"This same AR just produced an M5.3 flare a few hours ago. What does this AR have planned over the next days ... we'll have to wait and see."

Experts will be keeping an eye out for any development, as solar events like this can result communication chaos with radios, power grids, and navigation systems all disrupted.

Elsewhere, mysterious giant structures discovered beneath the surface of Mars, and Space discovery shows the pyramids were built using ingenious method.

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