Space weather forecasters reported a potent M-class solar flare causing a high-frequency radio blackout event on Tuesday. Multiple eruptions from the Sun have led to geomagnetic storm watches for later this week, Fox Weather reported.
The NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center revealed that the M9.8 solar flare, recorded by NOAA’s GOES-19 satellite, resulted in a moderate HF Radio Blackout Event Tuesday. Potential HF radio degradation was anticipated over the eastern part of the South Pacific Ocean during the flare. Due to recent solar activity, the forecast suggests the possibility of more M-class flares and a slight chance of X-class flares, the most powerful on NOAA’s scale.
Solar flares are categorized by strength, with M and X-class flares being the strongest. An X-class flare, the most significant explosion, can generate energy equivalent to 1 billion atomic bombs, according to NASA. The SWPC indicated that additional solar eruptions are directed towards Earth. Three coronal mass ejections (CMEs) occurred on Sunday, propelling plasma clouds from the Sun toward Earth. The arrival of solar particles is expected, with potential impacts starting as early as Wednesday…
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