Sun unleashes the most powerful flare since 2017 that is heading towards Earth. Photos and videos

No sooner had the Earth recovered from the X7.1 solar flare that occurred on October 2, than the Sun released another, the most powerful X9.05 eruption of this solar cycle on October 3. According to Space weather watch, this is the most intense flare since 2017.

The strong flare immediately caused a short-wave radio blackout over Africa and Europe. According to scientists, these are the areas of the Earth that were illuminated by the Sun during the eruption, Space.com reports.

Scientists emphasize that yesterday's record-breaking solar flare was the most powerful in this solar cycle and the strongest in the last seven years. Back in September 2017, two colossal flares of X13.3 and X11.8 were recorded.

Solar flare X9.05 originated from sunspot group AR3842, which also caused a preceding explosion and coronal mass ejection (CME) - a plume of plasma and magnetic field - that is now moving towards Earth.

Given that the area of the flare is aimed directly at Earth, we are in for a powerful geomagnetic storm, experts say. The CME is expected to hit the Earth between October 3 and 6, likely triggering a widespread aurora borealis.

According to scientists, CMEs carry electrically charged particles known as ions, and when they collide with the Earth's magnetosphere, they can cause geomagnetic storms. During these storms, the ions interact with gases in the Earth's atmosphere, releasing energy in the form of light. This phenomenon is recognized as the northern lights, or aurora borealis, in the northern hemisphere and the southern lights in the southern hemisphere.

"This could be excellent news for aurora chasers, as CMEs can trigger geomagnetic storms, which in turn can result in dramatically boosted auroral displays," the article says. "As of right now, I would anticipate an impact at Earth late 5th - early 6th," space weather forecaster and meteorologist Sara Housseal wrote on X.

One of these chasers is Andrew McCarthy, a well-known American astrophotography expert. "In case you missed it, this morning there was a *massive* flare on the sun. A subsequent Earth-directed CME could lead to increased aurora visibility, especially for Canada and Northern US," he emphasized to his X subscribers, who will be waiting for the photographer's vivid photos.

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