(1438 UT), it emitted a dramaticΒ X3-class explosion, shown here in a movie from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory.
![](https://ground-beyond-zero.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/newsourceofflares_strip_opt.gif)
Extreme ultraviolet radiation from the flare ionized the top of Earth’s atmosphere, causingΒ a shortwave radio blackoutΒ over the Atlantic Ocean. Ham radio operators, aviators and mariners may have noticed a sudden loss of signal at all frequencies below 30 MHz.
![](https://ground-beyond-zero.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GNpAagWW8AA8dIS.jpeg)
The source of this flare will rotate over the sun’s limb this week, making future explosions more squarely Earth-directed and potentially hurling CMEs in our direction. Stay tuned!