On Sunday, the Sun exhibited intense activity, emitting a potent M-Class solar flare with the potential to induce radio blackouts.

The Solar Ultraviolet Imager on NOAA’s GOES East satellite captured the M7.4 X-ray flare, indicating its strength as the second-most-intense type.

While powerful solar flares can cause high-frequency radio blackouts and pose risks to space missions and satellites, the impact on the general public is limited, as these energetic particles don’t reach Earth’s lower atmosphere.

The Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) anticipates moderate radio blackouts (level 2 out of 5), affecting parts of North and South America, Fox Weather reported.

The duration of these blackouts can extend for “tens of minutes.”

The solar flare originated in Active Region 3599, a region on the Sun associated with sunspot groups, as observed on NASA’s Solar and Heliophysics Observatory (SOHO) imagery.

Despite no recorded flares in the preceding week, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) detected this significant solar activity on Sunday.

Written by B.C. Begley