The largest solar flare in six years occurred on Thursday, causing disruptions in radio communications on Earth for about two hours.
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NASA captured stunning images of the event, showing a large beam of light forming on the sun's surface.
In a statement, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration called the eruption “likely one of the largest radioactive solar events ever.”
Radio blackouts due to radiation from this event were felt primarily in South America between 12 p.m. and 2 p.m., but were also detected in Mexico, the United States and southern Canada.
The outbreak was rated at X8 on the radiation scale, The Guardian reports.
For comparison, in 2003, the strongest eruption ever recorded was classified as X28.
Check out the footage in the video above