The biggest solar flare in nearly 20 years has erupted from the sun, sparking radio blackouts across North and South America.It was rated an X8.7-class flare—the most powerful since 2005—and was produced by the same sunspot that caused the spectacular northern lights displays over the weekend.Solar flares like this one trigger radio blackouts because they ionize the Earth's ionosphere and absorb radio waves instead of reflecting them, hampering long-distance radio communication.
They are classed by size as A, B, C, M, or X-class, with X being 10 times stronger than M, and M being 10 times stronger than C.'A severe X10-class flare could happen roughly eight times during that 11-year period. And a minor M flare can occur about 2,000 times in that cycle,' Daniel Brown, an associate professor in astronomy and science communication at Nottingham Trent University in the U.K., previously told Newsweek.This X8.
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