M-CLASS SOLAR FLARE: Earlier today (Dec. 5 @ 0719 UT) Earth-orbiting satellites detected an M1-Class solar flare. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded the extreme ultraviolet flash:
A pulse of radiation from the flare ionized the top of Earth’s atmosphere, causing a minor shortwave radio blackout over the Indian Ocean: Blackout Map(shown Below). Aviators, mariners and ham radio operators might have noticed strange propagation effects at frequencies below ~20 MHz.
This flare was even stronger than it seemed. The blast site was partially eclipsed by the edge of the sun, so only a fraction of the radiation made it to Earth. The instigating farside active region may be capable of X-class explosions.
