"'As light from solar flares hits our atmosphere, they cause a 'radio blackout' on the Sun-lit side of Earth. 'The strong flares we've experienced this week have caused radio blackouts, the highest being a "strong" event.'"
"'There was no impact on the satellites themselves or the ground-based communication networks, but the propagation of radio signals through the upper atmosphere was disturbed. 'This means that satellite navigation, satellite communication and high frequency (HF) radio communication were disturbed.'"
The sun emitted four X-class flares on February 1–2: X1.0 at 12:33 GMT, X8.1 at 23:37 GMT, X2.8 at 00:36 GMT, and X1.6 at 08:14 GMT. The X8.1 flare was the largest since October 2024 and ranked as the 19th-strongest flare on record. X-class flares ionize gases in Earth's upper atmosphere on the sunlit side, producing radio blackouts that can last an hour or more and disturb HF radio, satellite navigation, and satellite communications. No direct damage to satellites or ground networks was reported, and there is a one-in-three chance of additional X-class flares during the coming week. Coronal Mass Ejections remain distinct eruptions that can funnel charged material toward the poles and produce auroras.
Read at Mail Online
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