Solar Weather Prediction Center:
An X2.2/2b flare (R3) occurred late on February 17. The flare peaked Feb 17 15:16 ET. Effects: temporary degradation or complete loss of high-frequency radio signals on some of the sunlit side of the Earth.
NASA:
Solar flares are powerful bursts of energy. Flares and solar eruptions can impact radio communications, electric power grids, navigation signals, and pose risks to spacecraft and astronauts. This flare is classified as an X2.2 flare. X-class denotes the most intense flares, while the number provides more information about its strength.
According to the SWPC, the geomagnetic storm may affect satellite operations and could even lead to weak power-grid fluctuations. In addition, migratory animals could be affected, and the Northern Lights may be visible farther south than usual, like in northern Michigan and Maine.
A G2-level solar storm could affect high-latitude power systems by triggering voltage alarms, and long-duration storms could cause damage to transformers. In addition, corrective actions may be necessary for spacecraft orbiting Earth.
I love this! Highly eruptive X2.2 flare with a nice coronal wave, although I doubt the CME will even glance Earth.
HaloCME has a fantastic visualization in that tweet.
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