Huge X-Class solar flare erupts from the sun
A gigantic sunspot, first noted by astronomers several days ago, has unleashed another X-Class flare this morning. This one, classified at X1.6, has a much greater breadth than its predecessor. The flare may be Earth-directed, but we are still awaiting more information as it becomes available this afternoon. Luckily for us, space weather data allows us to pick up on this information rather quickly. Radio blackout information was detected within minutes of the flare. And sensors picked up on the X Class flare and its strength almost instantly.
Whether or not the X-Class flare is Earth-Directed, and whether it not it featured a CME (or Coronal Mass Ejections) will obviously have impacts on what we experience here. Luckily, our atmosphere protects us from most of the potentially harmful impacts of an Earth-directed major solar flare. But the magnetic field can still produce widespread aurora, radio and GPS blackouts and effects, and satellite interruptions. If the flare is not Earth-directed and/or doesn’t feature a CME, we will either experience fringe effects (nothing notable) or nothing at all