'Sunspots are complex magnetic regions of the sun where energy can be stored in huge amounts,' astronomer Peter T. Gallagher said.
A sunspot on the surface of the sun has erupted with a powerful solar flare, triggering radio blackouts across the planet.The X3.3-class flare was flung out from AR3869 in the early hours of October 24, blacking out radio transmissions at frequencies below 30 MHz across Asia, Australia, and the Pacific.
Solar flares are measured on a scale of A, B, C, M and X, with each class being 10 times more powerful than the previous. The most powerful solar flare of this solar cycle—of which we are currently in the solar maximum—occurred on October 3, and hit X9.0 in strength.'There is a higher probability of having such flares during solar maximum—which happens every 11 years and we are approximately in that period. A severe X10-class flare could happen roughly eight times during that 11-year period.
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