A powerful flare erupted on the Sun: it has already affected the Earth

Satellites in Earth orbit have just detected an X1.1 class solar flare from sunspot AR3217. It

located near the central partsolar disk, which means a potential coronal mass ejection could hit the Earth. In other words, any outbreaks this weekend are likely to be geoeffective.

Extreme UV radiation ionized the upperlayers of the Earth's atmosphere, causing radio interference in South America. Radio amateurs, aviators and sailors may have noticed unusual propagation effects at frequencies below 30 MHz within an hour of the flare.

spaceweather.com

A solar flare is the result ofexplosive process of energy release in the star's atmosphere. They cover all its layers: the photosphere, chromosphere and corona of the Sun. Solar flares are often, but not always, accompanied by a coronal mass ejection (CME).

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