An X-class eruption from a dangerous sunspot recently caused a shortwave radio blackout across the entire South Pacific region.
According to SpaceWeather, the X1.2 class solar flare, which was caused by a new sunspot called AR3182, was detected by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory.
The eruption on the sunspot created a glowing plasma dome that stayed for over an hour.
The eruption also sent a strong pulse of X-rays and extreme ultraviolet radiation towards Earth, which ionized the upper layer of the atmosphere and caused a shortwave radio blackout.
The EarthSky portal notes that this event was accompanied by two characteristics that made it possible to observe.
“AR3182 has already produced X-class events on Jan. 3rd and Jan 6th, so another one would be in character. Of equal interest is sunspot AR3181, which has doubled in size in the past 24 hours and is now directly facing Earth.”
X-flare! Early on Jan 6, from AR3182, on the sun's southeast limb. Read: https://t.co/6Xd48jM0Nf pic.twitter.com/Vicqt00VZE
— EarthSky (@earthskyscience) January 6, 2023
According to experts quoted in EarthSky, this event occurred in a region of the Sun that has just started to rotate and has a complex and potentially active configuration, which makes it easier to investigate.
The event also shows a gamma setting, which is a characteristic that can help researchers study it.
Experts say that we can expect this region to continue producing “strong calls” because of these characteristics.
This X-class eruption is considered a “non-eruptive eruption” by experts, which means that no coronal mass ejection (CME) has been observed. A CME is when the Sun ejects huge bubbles of superheated gas, called plasma.
After the eruption, radio amateurs, sailors, and aviators may have noticed unusual propagation of radio waves at frequencies below 30 MHz for an hour. This could have affected their operations.
AR3182 is a threat due to its strong solar flares and is located in a large, complex region of the Sun. This makes it a concern for researchers.
