X-Class Solar Flare

New sunspot AR3663 erupted this morning, May 3rd @ 0222 UT, producing an X1.6-class solar flare. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured the extreme ultraviolet flash:

Radiation from the flare ionized the top of Earth's atmosphere and caused a deep shortwave radio blackout over Australia, Japan, and much of China: map. Ham radio operators may have noticed loss of signal below 30 MHz for a half an hour after the flare's peak.

Shortly after the flare, the US Air Force reported a Type II solar radio burst, a type of natural radio signal emitted by shocked gas at the leading edge of a CME. This means a CME might be emerging from the blast site. Confirmation awaits fresh data from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO).

Source: https://www.spaceweather.com/