Sunspot AR 3842 remains active as it leaves the western edge of the Sun, firing off an X2.1 solar flare on Monday afternoon (October 7).

The sunspotwhich also unleashed the historical X9.05 solar flare last Thursday (October 3) – the most powerful rocket in seven years – the X2.1 released on Monday at 3:13 pm EDT (1913 GMT).

Solar flares are classified on a scale of four levelsranging from the B class with the lowest strength to the X class at the top. The most intense burst of energy ever released by the sun was a solar flare in 2003. an X45!

Although not as powerful as that record-breaking outburst, the strong X2.1 solar flare produced a significant amount of ultraviolet radiation that led to shortwave radio blackouts in both North and South America and over the Pacific Ocean.