Twin X-class solar blasts knock out Earth radio signals

Two X2.5 solar flares erupted from sunspot AR4419 on the Sun’s western limb within seven hours, triggering radio blackouts on Earth’s dayside. The flares were the strongest in about 78 days; while a direct CME impact is unlikely, forecasters warn a glancing blow could spark geomagnetic activity and auroras. A preceding “sympathetic” flare involved eruptions from two sunspot regions on opposite sides of the Sun.