The solar particles blasted out in association with a flare on the surface of the sun that could hit Earth on Halloween. The sun has fired off an X1-class solar flare, its most powerful kind of flare. X-class flares are based on a classification system that divides solar flares according to their strength.
The smallest flares are labelled A-class, followed by B, C, M and then X.
NASA officials have called the recent ejection a “significant solar flare”.
The ejection of solar particles was tracked by the US Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC), an organisation that tracks space weather events.
Space Weather Physicist Doctor Tamitha Skov tweeted: “X-Flare Now!
“Our Sun fires a long-duration X1-class flare from region 2887!
“Expect amateur radio blackout on dayside of Earth, especially USA, Canada, South America, western Europe and Africa (colour regions in map).
“GPS reception issues also near dawn and dusk over next hour!”
She added that the solar flare would be a “direct hit for Halloween”.
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The centre that observes space weather stated: “Analysis indicated the CME departed the Sun at a speed of 973 km/s and is forecast to arrive at Earth on 30 October.
“The effects will likely continue into 31 October.
“Impacts to our technology from a G3 storm are generally nominal.
“However, a G3 storm has the potential to drive the aurora further away from its normal polar residence.
“If other factors come together, the aurora might be seen over the far Northeast, to the upper Midwest, and over the state of Washington.”