The Sun is once again gone into hyperactive mode and fired a powerful X-class solar flare from the sunspot region AR4087 that only recently started to form. It triggered strong radio blackouts across Europe, Asia and the Middle East at around 4:25 am ET since these regions were facing the sun at the time.

The X2.7 solar flare was so intense that the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) termed it uncommon. However, it was still on the lower end of the most powerful solar flare class. Notably, solar flares are classified into A, B, C, M and X, with a tenfold increase in energy in each category.

The explosion stretched nearly 1 million kilometres, with some experts saying it was similar to a “bird wing”. The solar flare triggered a blast of X-rays and extreme ultraviolet radiation towards Earth at the time. This disrupted high-frequency radio signals across affected regions.

Sunspot AR4087 is still near the sun’s edge

However, it is not yet known whether an associated coronal mass ejection (CME) happened, Space.com reported. A CME occurs when massive plumes of solar plasma are released by the Sun. This ejection is what causes geomagnetic storms and also auroras following a collision with Earth’s magnetic field. If a CME were released, a geomagnetic storm might hit Earth sometime around May 16, as per estimates.

According to NASA, since the sunspot AR4087 is still near the sun’s edge, Earth might have been spared for now. However, according to aurora chaser Vincent Ledvina, this might not be the case in the coming days. The sunspot is slowly turning towards Earth and is highly active, having released multiple solar flares.

“This is getting intense, especially as this active region turns closer into view. This same AR just produced an M5.3 flare a few hours ago,” Ledvina wrote on X.

Scientists are worried that if sunspot AR4087 continues to remain this active as it slowly turns towards Earth, then strong geomagnetic storms can hit Earth, disrupting communications. On the plus side, beautiful auroras will light up the skies.