Gargantuan sunspot 15-Earths wide shoots powerful X-class flare toward Earth, triggering radio blackouts

The behemoth dark patch on the sun's surface has ballooned in recent days, becoming one of the largest and most active sunspots seen this solar cycle.

The giant sunspot has more than lived up to expectations. Firing out countless powerful solar flares in recent days, including a colossal X-class solar flare this morning , peaking at 5:13 a.m. EDT .Solar flares are eruptions from the sun's surface that emit intense bursts of electromagnetic radiation. They are categorized by size into lettered groups, with X-class being the most powerful.

Radio blackoutsPowerful solar flares like the one observed this morning can cause shortwave radio blackouts on the sunlit side of Earth at the time of the eruption. As such, the X-flare this morning caused shortwave radio blackouts across Europe and Africa as seen in the image above. The radiation travels toward Earth at the speed of light and ionizes the top of Earth's atmosphere. by which plasma and magnetic fields erupt from the sun, traveling at slower speeds, often taking several days to reach Earth).

It is so big that it can be seen from Earth without the need for magnification. If you still have a pair of solar eclipse glasses lying around after April 8's total solar eclipse, you can use them to safely observe the sun and see the mammoth sunspot cross the solar disk.

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