The giant sunspot AR3615 produced another forte blasting solar. The peak was recorded yesterday, March 28, at 9.56pm Italian time: theX1 class explosion ionized the upper part of the Earth’s atmosphere and caused a deep blackout shortwave radio over the Pacific Ocean. The event followed blackout similar over the Indian Ocean and South America in the previous hours, due to class M flares. The Active Region AR3615 is proving to be very active and could reserve other surprises.
Explosions on the Sun, what is a flare
A blasting solaralso known as flare, is aeruption sudden and violent on the surface of Suncharacterized by aexplosion of electromagnetic energy and charged particles. These events are often associated with active regions of the Sun, where strong magnetic fields occur that interact in complex ways.
A solar flare develops when magnetic fields rapidly rearrange themselves, releasing enormous amounts of energy in the form of electromagnetic radiation, mainly in the wavelengths of X-rays and ultraviolet waves. This energy release is so intense that it can heat solar plasma to millions of degrees Celsius within seconds.
Solar flares are classified based on their intensity, measured in terms of the power emitted in the X-ray waves. The most common classification is the flare class scale, which ranges from to (the weakest) a X (the most powerful), with further numerical subdivisions within each class.
Explosions on the Sun can interfere with radio communications on Earth, especially on short waves. This happens because electromagnetic radiation emitted during a solar flare ionizes particles in Earth’s atmosphere, creating a layer of plasma that reflects or absorbs shortwave radio waves. This can cause interruptions in shortwave radio communications, including temporary blackouts or signal degradation. Additionally, charged particles emitted during solar flares can interfere with electronic systems, including Earth-orbiting satellites, causing malfunctions or damage.
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