"Solar Flare Eruption Causes Widespread Radio Blackouts"
Sunspot AR3599 surprised scientists by unleashing a strong M7.4 class solar flare accompanied by a coronal mass ejection, resulting in widespread radio blackouts across Africa and the South Atlantic. The flare's radiation ionized Earth's upper atmosphere, causing shortwave radio blackouts. While the CME is predicted to pass ahead of our planet, a possible glancing blow may trigger minor geomagnetic storms on March 13. Solar flares are bursts of electromagnetic radiation triggered by magnetic energy buildup in the sun's atmosphere, with the recent flare being categorized as M7.43.