Massive Solar Flare Causes Radio Blackouts

A powerful solar flare caused by a sunspot three times the size of the Earth sent radiation that interfered with Earth's radio signals, causing a radio blackout in North, Central, and South America. The blackout lasted more than 10 minutes, but there were no clear reported effects. The sun is entering a period of peak activity, causing more frequent solar events like solar flares and coronal mass ejections. Scientists have warned that these peaks of solar activity could potentially be dangerous if powerful solar storms were to short power grids around the globe.