A massive solar flare, classified as X5.1, erupted from the Sun on November 11, causing widespread radio blackouts across Europe and Africa, Space.com reported. The powerful flare triggered a severe R3-level radio blackout and disrupted high-frequency radio communications on the sunlit side of Earth. It was the strongest of 2025 and the most intense since October 2024. The X5.1-class flare has the potential to disrupt satellite communications, GPS and power grids.
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The solar flare is part of a series of intense flares from sunspot AR4274, which has been producing significant solar activity in recent days.
NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center stated that those flares were accompanied by coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that could combine and impact Earth overnight. It might cause strong (G3) geomagnetic storm conditions and widespread auroras.
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In a statement on Monday, the Space Weather Prediction Center noted that CMEs are anticipated to impact Earth later on November 11 and into November 13. It added that geomagnetic storm watches were posted as: G2-Moderate for Nov 11, G3-Strong for Nov 12, and G1-Minor for Nov 13.
"Analyses of these events continues due to the large range of potential outcomes from these events and how they may interact upon arrival at Earth, therefore, there is a moderate level of uncertainty regarding the forecast," the statement added.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Space scientist Steph Yardley called the solar activity "not very common". "There have been 75 recorded since 1942," she posted on X.
Another expert, Jure Atanackov, shared other details on X, writing, "NASA M2M SWO estimate the speed of the CME at 1856 km/s - a very fast CME! The animation of the CME in Cor2 data is absolutely spectacular. Big, fast CME. Bulk headed for us. I think it is safe to say this will be one of the most impressive near side CMEs of the cycle (fingers crossed there are even more spectacular ones soon). This is special."
The solar flares have five main categories, A, B, C, M, and X, from the weakest to the most powerful. A is the weakest, and X is the strongest, with each class representing roughly a tenfold increase in energy.
