MAJOR X-CLASS SOLAR FLARE: Mere hours after emerging over the sun's eastern limb on Dec. 31st, big sunspot AR3536 erupted, producing a major X5-class solar flare. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded the extreme ultraviolet flash. This is the strongest flare of Solar Cycle 25 (so far) and the most powerful eruption the sun has produced since the great storms of Sept. 2017. Radiation from the flare has caused a deep shortwave radio blackout over the Pacific Ocean: blackout map. Ham radio operators may notice loss of signal at all frequencies below 30 MHz for more than 60 minutes after the flare's peak (2155 UT). It's too soon to know for sure, but this explosion probably launched a coronal mass ejection (CME) into space. Because the blast site is located near the extreme eastern edge of the sun, the CME is unlikely to have a significant Earth-directed component, but stay tuned. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text Update: This explosion caused a solar tsunami. You can see the shock wave in this animation from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. spaceweather