ANOTHER STRONG SOLAR FLARE (UPDATED): Sunspot AR3234 exploded yesterday, Feb. 28th at 1750 UTC, producing an M8.6-class solar flare only percentage points below X-class. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded the extreme ultraviolet flash:
An impulsive burst of X-rays ionized the top of Earth's atmosphere, causing a shortwave radio blackout over the Americas. Aviators and ham radio operators may have noticed loss of signal below 30 MHz for more than 30 minutes after the flare.
There was also a faint CME associated with this event, first observed in coronagraph imagery at 1848 UTC. NOAA analysts are modeling the CME now to assess any possible Earth-directed component. Stay tuned. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text.
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