– The sun emitted another powerful X-class solar flare on July 16th from active sunspot region AR3738. This was the second X-class flare this week from this sunspot.
– X-class flares are the strongest type of solar flare, and this one caused a shortwave radio blackout over parts of the Atlantic Ocean, Africa, Europe and North and South America.
– Solar flares emit intense bursts of radiation that can disrupt radio communications on Earth when directed at our planet.
– The sunspot that caused the flare is rotating towards the edge of the sun from our viewpoint, but not before emitting this powerful X2-class flare.
– Space weather forecasters are monitoring if this flare was accompanied by a coronal mass ejection (CME) of solar material, but it does not appear Earth will be directly hit if a CME was produced.
– Scientists are watching this very large and active sunspot region closely as it nears the limb of the sun for any future solar activity directed at Earth.
Source: Space
