Over the weekend, the sun experienced significant activity, including multiple M-class solar flares and coronal mass ejections.

The highlight was a massive X-class solar flare that peaked on July 28 at 10:33 p.m. EDT (0233 GMT on July 29). This intense flare caused shortwave radio blackouts across most of Asia and Australia.

Solar flares are bursts of electromagnetic radiation resulting from the sudden release of magnetic energy on the sun’s surface.

These flares can ionize Earth’s upper atmosphere, affecting high-frequency radio signals used for long-distance communication.

The recent X-class flare, being the most powerful type, led to notable disruptions in radio signals in the affected regions, Space.com has reported.

Solar flares are classified by their intensity, with X-class being the most severe, followed by M-class, C-class, B-class, and A-class, each progressively weaker.

Written by B.C. Begley