Major solar flare, causes radio communication cut-off in some parts of Earth: NASA captures moment of flare

A major flare has occurred on the Sun, which has caused radio communication to be cut off in some parts of the Earth. As Space.com reports, this flare also set the stage for subsequent flares.

According to the US Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC), the massive solar flare, registered as an X1.1 powerful event, peaked at 10:48pm EST on Saturday (7:48am Armenia time, on Sunday). It originated in a part of the Sun called Active Region 3217. The eruption caused a temporary blackout in South America.

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured the moment of the solar flare. You can watch the video below.

"More flares are expected from this region as it moves across the sun creating occasional degradation of high frequency (3-30 MHz) communication," SWPC officials wrote in an alert. 

Solar flares are massive eruptions of charged particles on the Sun and vary in intensity. Small Class A and Class C flares indicate relatively minor events, while strong Class M flares can enhance the auroras we see on Earth. X-class is the strongest type of solar flare. The strongest X-class flare ever recorded occurred in 2003 and was recorded as the X28 flare. It even overloaded the sensors of the SWPC measuring it.

Intense solar flares can also eject huge amounts of solar material, which scientists call coronal mass ejections. During flares, huge clouds of solar plasma can be ejected at speeds of up to 1 million mph. When directed toward Earth, the strongest solar flares and coronal mass ejections can seriously disrupt communication systems, power plants, and even pose a threat to astronauts and satellites in space.

According to Spaceweather.com, which tracks space weather events, the latest solar flare did not produce a coronal mass ejection. Instead, the coronal mass ejection occurred as a result of another flare that occurred in the Sun's northern hemisphere. The impact of that emission will reach Earth on Tuesday and may lead to more intense auroras.