Watch a colossal X-class solar flare erupt from an Earth-facing sunspot (video)

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The Sun certainly had a busy weekend.

Our star didn’t just fire multiple M-class missiles solar flaresand coronal mass ejections (eruptions of magnetic field and solar plasma), but now all of this is topped off by a colossal X-class solar flare.

O eruption peaked on July 28 at 10:33 pm EDT (02:33 am GMT July 29), triggering shortwave radio blackouts across the sunlit part of Earth at the time of the eruption, which included most of Asia and Australia.

Solar flares are eruptions of the sunsurface that releases intense bursts of electromagnetic radiation. These explosions occur when magnetic energy accumulated in the solar atmosphere is suddenly released.

Related: May’s solar superstorm caused the largest ‘mass migration’ of satellites in history

Radiation from solar flares reaches Earth in speed of light, ionizing the upper atmosphere upon arrival. This ionization creates a denser environment for high-frequency shortwave radio signals that facilitate long-distance communication. However, how do these radio waves interact with electrons in ionized layers, they lose energy due to increased collisions, which can degrade or completely absorb radio signals.

This loss of signal was detected across most of Asia and Australia during the recent X-flare eruption.

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Solar flares are classified by size into different classes, with X-class flares being the most powerful. Class M flares are 10 times less powerful than class X, followed by class C flares, which are 10 times weaker than class M. Class B flares are 10 times weaker than class C , and class A flares are 10 times weaker than class B and have no noticeable impact on Earth. Each class is divided by numbers from 1 to 10 (and beyond for class X flags) to indicate the relative strength of the flag.

The impulsive X-flare on July 28/29 measured X1.5 according to Live Space Weatherwhen it erupted from sunspot region 3764. Meteorologists have not yet determined whether a sunspot aimed at Earth CME accompanied the solar flare according to NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center. Scientists are awaiting coronagraph images to determine whether an Earth-directed CME follows this activity.

If so, it wouldn’t be the only CME on the way. Several CMEs are currently advancing towards Earth and are scheduled to start arriving on July 30th. Their presence could trigger strong geomagnetic storm conditions and auroras in mid latitudes.