Sun unleashes powerful X-class solar flare, knocking out radio signals across Australia

The sun kicked off December with a bang, unleashing a strong X1.9-class solar flare that briefly knocked out radio communications across Australia and parts of southeast Asia.

The eruption, which peaked at around 9:49 a.m. EST on Nov. 30 (0249 GMT Dec. 1) came from a newly emerging sunspot region AR429 as it rotated into view over the sun’s northeastern limb.

The flare triggered a strong (R3) radio blackout across the sunlit side of Earth at the time of the eruption.

Coronagraph imagery from SOHO revealed a rapid partial-halo coronal mass ejection (CME), a release of plasma and magnetic field from the sun, blasting off the sun’s northeast limb. Earth modelling confirms that the CME is not Earth-directed.

But the real story might be in the enormous sunspot region following closely behind this flare. AR4294, a sprawling, magnetically complex sunspot cluster, is now turning toward Earth. It is so complex that NOAA has split the region into three numbered groups because of its size and complexity. This is also the same area of the sun responsible for multiple X-class flares last month  — and it’s only grown even larger.

NOAA space weather forecasters anticipate a likely continuation of M-class solar flares and a slight chance of more X-flares between Dec. 1-3. While no Earth-directed CMEs have been detected, increased activity from AR4294 could change that in the days ahead, so watch this space!

Meanwhile, geomagnetic conditions are expected to stay mostly quiet until Dec. 3, when a negative-polarity coronal hole stream may bring minor (G1) geomagnetic storming.