Most powerful solar flare of 2025 causes radio blackouts worldwide
What's the story
An X-class solar flare, the most powerful one of the year, erupted from sunspot region AR4087 on the Sun.
The event peaked at 1:55pm IST, resulting in severe R3-level radio blackouts across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
The NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) has observed that solar flares of this intensity are uncommon.
Classification
Solar flares classified by strength
Solar flares are classified according to their strength into five classes: A, B, C, M, and X. Each class indicates a tenfold increase in energy. The latest X-class flare was recorded at X2.7, putting it at the lower end of the strongest solar flare category.
Disruption
Solar flare disrupts communication
The solar flare sent a stream of X-rays and extreme ultraviolet radiation toward Earth at light speed.
The rapid influx of energy caused the upper atmosphere to ionize, disrupting high-frequency radio signals.
As a result, some radio operators across the affected regions saw their communication dropouts due to these sudden changes in atmospheric conditions.
CME
Potential for geomagnetic storms
There's a chance that the solar flare was also accompanied by a coronal mass ejection (CME), which are huge clouds of solar plasma and magnetic fields.
CMEs can cause geomagnetic storms and bright auroras if they interact with Earth's magnetic field.
But, since AR4087 is still close to the Sun's edge, Earth is safe from any potential impacts at the moment.