The sun is currently exhibiting heightened activity not witnessed in nearly a decade. In less than 24 hours, three X-class solar flares, the most intense category on the flare intensity scale, were emitted by the sun.

The third flare, the most potent among them, was deemed “the most powerful flare since the great solar storms of September 2017,” according to SpaceWeather.com.

While solar flares of this magnitude can momentarily disrupt high-frequency radio signals on Earth, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center dispelled any notion of a connection between the flares and the cellphone outages reported across the United States on Thursday.

“While solar flares can affect communication systems, radar and the Global Positioning System, based on the intensity of the eruption and associated phenomena, it is highly unlikely that these flares contributed to the widely reported cellular network outages,” the SWPC said in a statement Thursday.

Despite the recent heightened activity on the sun, it is improbable that the X-class flares will lead to outbursts of the aurora on Earth, UPI reported.

The specific region on the sun that triggered the significant solar flares might produce more such events in the coming days.

Written by B.C. Begley