A strong solar flare causes a temporary communications outage over North America sciences

On Tuesday, June 30, the sun witnessed a powerful solar flare of the “X1” category (X1.1) that erupted from sunspot 4479, causing temporary interruptions of high-frequency radio communications over parts of North America, according to the Space Weather Prediction Center of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

According to the center, the glow reached its peak at 20:50 UTC, and the

The flare was accompanied by a coronal mass ejection, a huge cloud of plasma and magnetic fields hurtling into space. Scientists are still analyzing its path to determine the extent of its potential impact on the Earth’s magnetic field, while preliminary models indicate the possibility of part of it arriving during July 2 or 3, with the possibility of a moderate geomagnetic storm occurring if its direction is appropriate.

Scientists classify solar flares into five categories: A, B, C, M, and X. However, category X is the strongest and most capable of causing disturbances in communications, navigation systems, and satellites.

The competent authorities confirmed that monitoring of the giant sunspot 4479 is continuing, as it is still facing the Earth, which means the possibility of new flares occurring in the coming days, which keeps space weather experts in a state of continuous monitoring.

It is noteworthy that two great spots occupy a large area in the middle of the sun and can be seen with the naked eye moments before the sun sets.