Early on Dec. 8, the Sun unleashed a powerful X1.1-class solar flare from sunspot region AR4298, temporarily disrupting radio communications across Australia and parts of Southeast Asia.

The flare, which peaked at 12:01 a.m. EST, also ejected a coronal mass ejection (CME), though initial analyses indicate it is not Earth-directed.

The eruption adds to an active week of solar activity, with several earlier CMEs expected to impact Earth between Dec. 8–9, potentially causing G2–G3 geomagnetic storms and visible northern lights at high to mid-latitudes.

X-class flares are the strongest type of solar flare, capable of ionizing Earth’s upper atmosphere and interfering with high-frequency radio signals, Space.com has reported.

During such events, radio waves lose energy as they collide with highly ionized layers of the ionosphere, causing signals to fade, distort, or vanish.