Today's flare is among the most powerful eruptions of the current solar cycle.
On the night of June 20, a powerful X1.9-class solar flare occurred, causing shortwave radio outages in the Pacific Ocean region, including parts of Hawaii.
This was reported by space.com with reference to data from Space Weather Live.
The eruption was intense enough to ionize the Earth's upper atmosphere. Amateur radio operators may have noticed a sudden loss of signal at frequencies below 25 MHz shortly after the outburst.
Shortwave radio interruptions are common during intense solar activity and occur when solar flares emit X-rays and extreme ultraviolet radiation into space.
Traveling at the speed of light, this radiation reaches the Earth almost instantly, ionizing the upper atmosphere. The increased ionization changes the density of the atmosphere, affecting the high-frequency shortwave radio signals used for long-distance communication.
When these signals pass through charged layers of the atmosphere, energy losses from collisions with electrons can weaken or even completely absorb the transmissions, resulting in the radio signal being cut off.
X-class flares are the most energetic class of solar flares. At X1.9, today's flare is among the most powerful eruptions of the current solar cycle.
While the event produced a strong burst of electromagnetic radiation, it did not result in a coronal mass ejection, meaning aurora hunters will be disappointed – at least for now.
Let us recall that earlier the Solar Orbiter spacecraft recorded a shift in the magnetic poles of the Sun, which were located in one hemisphere.
