Sunspot blasts strong X-ray solar flares causing blackouts in Hawaii. There is more to come

Sun has blasted an X flare towards Earth once again. The eruption reached us and disrupted communications systems. Sunspot region 4114 released the X flare, the most powerful solar flare, on Tuesday at 5:49 p.m. ET. Radio blackout was reported over the Pacific Ocean, including Hawaii, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center. The sunspot has been highly active in the past few weeks and has released several solar flares. But Tuesday's event was the strongest flare spewed by it so far. Scientists predict that this is not the end and more solar flares can be expected, with one incoming today.

The sunspot is facing right at Earth, and G1 geomagnetic storms could be expected over the next few days. AR4115 has been growing in size and has produced several smaller flares, including an M1.5 event.

Multiple coronal mass ejections (CMEs) were recorded in 24 hours from sunspot region 4114. However, Earth escaped them all since the solar particles either passed north of Earth, behind Earth, or came from the far side of the sun. A glancing impact from the June 15 CME associated with AR4114 remains possible on June 18. Another shock from a C5.5 flare at 8:13 UTC on June 17 may arrive on June 20.

"Sunspot 4114 is large and unstable, with a ‘delta-class’ magnetic field that harbours energy for strong explosions," according to spaceweather.com. On June 15, it released an M8.46 class solar flare that caused a shortwave radio blackout over North America. Frequencies at below 20 Megahertz lost signals.

More solar flares are expected to hit Earth this week released by the active sunspot region, which is still facing Earth, according to spaceweather.com. The Sun is rotating which will move the sunspot away from Earth in the coming days. However, it will continue to remain active and the next time it faces Earth, more solar flares can be unleashed towards us.

What is a sunspot?

More sunspots are emerging, with one observed in the southeast region. However, it is hard to tell at this point how big it is.

A sunspot forms during solar maximum, when the Sun goes through an 11-year cycle. It is a dark, cooler area which forms when strong magnetic activity slows down the flow of hot gas from the star’s interior to its surface. The solar maximum started in October 2024.