NASA telescopes capture the largest solar flare in years, temporarily cutting off radio communications on Earth
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA telescopes have captured the largest solar flare in years that temporarily disrupted radio communications on Earth.
On Thursday, the sun spewed out a huge flare that caused two hours of radio interference in parts of the United States and other sunny regions of the world. Scientists said this was the largest flare since 2017.
The government’s Space Weather Prediction Center said multiple pilots reported communication problems that affected the entire country. Scientists are currently monitoring this sunspot region and analyzing the possibility of an explosion of plasma from the Sun, also known as a coronal mass ejection, directed toward Earth. The eruption occurred at the northwestern edge of the Sun, the center said.
NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured the activity in the extreme ultraviolet light, recording the powerful energy surge as a giant bright flash. Launched in 2010, the spacecraft is in a very high orbit around Earth, constantly monitoring the sun.
The sun is nearing the peak of its approximately 11-year solar cycle. Sunspot activity is predicted to peak in 2025.
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