Sun unleashes first X-class solar flare of 2015

The sun unleashed its first superpowerful flare of the year on Wednesday, and the intense eruption was aimed directly at Earth, space weather experts say.

The monster X-class solar flare, the strongest category of sun storms possible, peaked at 12:22 p.m. EDT on March 11, originating from a sunspot known as Active Region 12297 (AR12297). NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured stunning video of the huge X-class solar flare as it erupted.

AR12297 has fired off a number of medium-strength flares over the last few days. Wednesday's event ratcheted things up a notch, causing an hour-long blackout in high-frequency radio communications over wide areas, according to scientists with the U.S. Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) in Boulder, Colorado. The SWPC is overseen by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Read more...

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