Biggest solar flare in years temporarily disrupts some radio communications on Earth, US authorities say.

Extract from ABC News 

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Posted 15 hours ago

NASA says the sun spat out a huge flare, resulting in 2 hours of radio interference in the US and other sunlit parts of the world.(NASA via AP)

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A NASA telescope has captured the biggest solar flare in years, which temporarily knocked out radio communication on parts of Earth.

Key points:

• Scientists say Thursday's "amazing" solar flare was the biggest since 2017
• The burst of radio waves it caused led to some communication disruptions on Earth
• Authorities are now monitoring for an outburst of plasma that might be directed at Earth

The Sun spat out the huge flare along with a massive radio burst on Thursday, causing two hours of radio interference in parts of the US and other sunlit parts of the world.

Scientists at America's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said the "amazing event" was the biggest flare since 2017, and the radio burst was extensive, affecting even the higher frequencies.

The combination resulted in one of the largest solar radio events ever recorded, Shawn Dahl of NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center said on Friday.

One of America's Center Weather Service Units, which provide weather forecasts for aviation, said it had "never seen anything like this".

America's Space Weather Prediction Center says the flare "is likely one of the largest solar radio events ever recorded".(NOAA)

Multiple pilots reported communication disruptions and the impact was felt across the US according to that country's space weather forecasting centre.

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The eruption occurred in the far-north-west section of the Sun.

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory caught the action in extreme ultraviolet light, recording the powerful surge of energy as a huge, bright flash.

Launched in 2010, the spacecraft is in an extremely high orbit around Earth to constantly monitor the Sun.

Scientists are now monitoring this sunspot region and analysing for a possible outburst of plasma from the Sun, also known as a coronal mass ejection, that might be directed at Earth.

A large ejection could result in a geomagnetic storm which in turn could disrupt high-frequency radio signals at the higher latitudes and trigger northern lights, or auroras, in the coming days, said Mr Dahl.

The Sun is nearing the peak of its approximately 11-year solar cycle, with maximum sunspot activity predicted for 2025.

AP/ABC

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