Sun erupts with 3 colossal solar flares in less than 24 hours, boosting chances for northern lights

Wow, the sun is certainly putting on quite a show this week. Our star just unleashed three powerful solar flares in less than 24 hours and potentially sending multiple coronal mass ejections (CMEs) hurtling toward Earth, raising the chances of northern lights displays this week. The culprit behind all three eruptions from the sun is Earth-facing sunspot region 4455. The unstable region produced an M9.3 solar flare that peaked at 9:36 p.m. EDT June 2 (0136 a.m. GMT on June 3), followed by an M7.9 flare at 3:00 a.m. EDT (0700 GMT) and an X1 at 7:28 a.m. EDT (1128 GMT) — the most powerful category of solar flare. Image 1 of 3 Moderate R2 radio blackouts associated with the M9.3 solar flare. (Image credit: NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center.) Moderate R2 radio blackouts associated with the M7.9 solar flare. (Image credit: NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center.) Strong R3 radio blackouts associated with the X-class solar flare. (Image credit: NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center.) The trio of eruptions triggered radio blackouts across Earth. The M9.3 flare triggered a moderate R2 radio blackout across parts of East Asia and Australia, while the M7.9 eruption caused another R2 blackout affecting portions of Europe and Africa. The strongest blackout came with the X1 flare, which generated an R3 radio blackout across parts of Europe and Asia. "Region 4455 strikes again!" space weather physicist Tamitha Skov wrote in a post on X following the M9.3 eruption. …