A powerful solar flare, classified as an X2.3 flare, disrupted radio communications over parts of the Atlantic Ocean, South America, and Africa on November 6, 2024. The event, which took place at 8:40 am ET, caused a shortwave radio blackout, highlighting the significant impact solar flares can have on global communications.

NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), which constantly monitors solar activity, captured images of the flare. Solar flares are intense bursts of energy from the Sun that can interfere with high-frequency radio signals, as well as pose a threat to electrical power grids, navigation systems, and spacecraft.

This particular flare was categorized as X-class, which is the most intense class of solar flares. The number "2.3" indicates the strength of the flare, with X-class flares being the most powerful, followed by M-class flares. These solar events can cause temporary radio blackouts in the affected regions and pose serious risks to technologies that rely on radio waves, such as GPS systems.

NASA also noted that solar flares and associated phenomena like coronal mass ejections (CMEs) can be hazardous to astronauts and spacecraft due to increased radiation exposure. Spaceweather.com has reported that scientists are awaiting data from NASA’s Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft to determine whether a CME will reach Earth. If the CME, which consists of plasma and magnetic fields, impacts Earth, it could trigger a geomagnetic storm, potentially leading to auroras in higher latitudes.

Solar flares are classified into four categories: X-class (the strongest), followed by M-class, C-class, and B-class. Each class is ten times stronger than the one below it, making X-class flares particularly significant. The flare on November 6 was the latest in a series of solar events that can have far-reaching effects on both Earth and space-based technologies.