Sun Unleashes Extremely Powerful Solar Flare, Pacific Region Hit

The April 30 flare clocked in at M9.53, according to spaceweatherlive.com, measured by NASA's GOES-16 satellite, which puts it just a fraction below the most powerful X-class solar flare.

An extremely powerful solar flare triggered widespread radio blackouts across the Pacific region this week, according to a report in space.com. The eruption lasted 12 minutes on April 30 and released near X-class solar flares, the most powerful. As per NASA, solar flares happen when powerful magnetic fields in and around the Sun reconnect. They are created when magnetic energy builds up in the solar atmosphere and is released. Flares are classified according to their strength. After the most powerful X-class, there are M-class flares that are 10 times less powerful, followed by C-class and finally, B-class flares.

The April 30 flare clocked in at M9.53, according to spaceweatherlive.com, measured by NASA's GOES-16 satellite, which puts it just a fraction below an X-class solar flare.

It ionized the upper atmosphere while hitting the Earth on April 30. "Mariners and ham radio operators may have noticed loss of signal below 20 MHz for as much as 30 minutes after the flare's peak," according to spaceweather.com.