Overview

• An X1.2-class solar flare erupted from sunspot Region 4114 on June 17, peaking at 5:49 p.m. EDT.
• It prompted an R3 (strong) shortwave radio blackout over the Pacific Ocean, with frequencies below 25 MHz hit hardest near Hawaii.
• The flare was not accompanied by a coronal mass ejection, so no geomagnetic storm or visible auroras are expected at high latitudes.
• This event is part of heightened solar activity as the sun reaches its 11-year cycle peak, following earlier X-class flares in May.
• NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured imagery of the flare and NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center continues to track potential impacts on communications, power grids, spacecraft and navigation systems.