One of the strongest types of solar flares erupted on the sun

A massive solar flare erupted from the sun over the weekend, causing radio blackouts on Earth – and more could be on the horizon.

The sun emitted the solar flare on Saturday, peaking around 10:48 a.m. EST, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center. The flare, which came from a part of the sun named active region 3217, was designated a X1.1 flare, one of the strongest types of flares the sun can produce.

More flares from the region could be coming, the Space Weather Prediction Center predicts.

Solar flares – giants explosions on the sun that NASA says send energy, light and particles throughout our solar system – have a designated classification system to determine their strength.