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Two X-class solar flares hit Earth in less than 7 hours and caused radio blackouts from the Pacific to East Asia — pilots and sailors lost communication for up to an hour
In the early morning of April 24, 2026, NASA recorded two consecutive solar flares classified as X2.4 and X2.5 — the most intense in 78 days. The first solar flare peaked at 9:07 PM on April 23, and the second exploded just seven hours later, at 4:13 AM on April 24.
Both explosions originated from the same sunspot region, cataloged as AR4419, located near the Sun’s western limb.
According to Space.com, radiation from the explosions traveled to Earth at the speed of light and disrupted the ionosphere — the layer of the atmosphere that carries radio and navigation signals.
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The immediate result was a shortwave radio blackout that first affected the Pacific Ocean and Australia, and then East Asia.
Pilots and sailors lost contact for up to an hour over the ocean
According to Interesting Engineering, pilots, sailors, and emergency services lost long-distance communication for periods ranging from a few minutes to almost an hour.
Furthermore, shortwave radio continues to be widely used in aviation and maritime operations, especially on routes over remote oceans where no other communication infrastructure exists.
In practice, this means that aircraft crossing the Pacific were temporarily blind to contact with air traffic control.
However, commercial flights did not need to be diverted, because satellite backup systems were able to partially compensate for the disruption.
Still, the incident exposed a real vulnerability: the world’s dependence on atmospheric layers that the Sun can shut down at any moment.
Solar Cycle 25 reached its peak — and exceeded all scientists’ predictions
These two explosions did not happen by chance. According to experts, the Sun is at the peak of Solar Cycle 25, which began in December 2019 and reached maximum intensity between 2024 and 2026.
The smoothed sunspot number reached 157 in August 2024 — a value that fell outside the range predicted by the international consensus panel.
In February 2026, the Sun unleashed an X8-class solar flare, the most powerful of the entire cycle to date. Therefore, the X2.5 explosions in April, although strong, are not the worst this cycle has yet produced.
Despite this, scientists warn that the period of intense activity is not yet over. Just as a volcano can have multiple eruptions in sequence, the Sun can produce increasingly stronger explosions until the cycle begins to slow down, possibly only in 2027.
What X-class means — and why X2.5 is concerning
Solar flares are classified into five categories: A, B, C, M, and X, in increasing order of intensity. X-class is the most powerful.
Within the X-class, the number indicates the magnitude. For example, an X2.5 flare is 2.5 times more intense than an X1. To understand the scale, the X8 flare in February was more than three times stronger than those in April.
In this sense, the explosions on April 23 and 24 do not represent a catastrophic event. However, they serve as a reminder that the Sun is active and unpredictable at this point in the cycle.
Consequently, agencies like NOAA and NASA maintain 24-hour monitoring to anticipate events that could affect terrestrial infrastructure.
The worst-case scenario: a solar flare like the one in 1859 would cost US$9 trillion today
The most extreme event ever recorded happened in 1859 and became known as the Carrington Event. At that time, a geomagnetic storm caused sparks in telegraph lines and auroras visible even in the Caribbean.
If an event of this magnitude hit today’s world, the damage would be catastrophic. According to the USGS (U.S. Geological Survey), between 20 and 40 million Americans would lose power.
Indeed, Lloyd’s of London’s estimate places the global cost of a Carrington event at US$9.1 trillion — equivalent to 1.4% of global GDP destroyed at once.
Furthermore, blackouts could last from 16 days to two years, depending on the availability of replacement transformers.
The problem is that high-voltage transformers take four years or more to manufacture. Equally concerning is the fact that most of them are no longer produced in the United States.
Consequently, if hundreds of transformers were destroyed simultaneously, replacement could take a decade.
GPS, satellites, and even traffic lights: what a solar flare can take down
The effects of a solar superstorm would go far beyond the electrical grid. Firstly, communication and GPS satellites could be permanently damaged by radiation.
Secondly, air and maritime navigation systems would rely on terrestrial backup that, in many regions, simply does not exist.
In practice, the impact would spread to:
- Electrical power grids — geomagnetically induced currents can burn out transformers and cause cascading blackouts
- GPS systems — planes, ships, transportation and logistics apps would lose positioning
- Telecommunications — internet and cell phone satellites could be disabled
- Financial markets — electronic transactions that depend on satellite synchronization would be interrupted
- Water supply — electric pumps that supply entire cities would stop working
In comparison, the March 1989 solar storm left 6 million people without power in the province of Quebec, Canada, for nine hours. That event was significantly smaller than a Carrington.
Brazil is also vulnerable — and the country has little protection against solar storms
Although the greatest risks are concentrated at high latitudes, such as Canada and Scandinavia, Brazil is not immune. Especially because the country relies on extremely long power transmission lines — some over 2,000 kilometers.
Thus, currents induced by geomagnetic storms could overload transformers in regions like the North and Northeast, which receive energy from distant power plants via high-voltage lines.
Furthermore, the country has been investing more and more in nuclear and renewable energy projects, which also depend on infrastructure connected to the national electrical grid.
According to experts, Brazil still does not have a specific national contingency plan for extreme solar storms.
The world is preparing — but not fast enough
Still, efforts are underway. NOAA maintains the Space Weather Prediction Center, which issues real-time alerts about solar activity. In turn, NASA continuously monitors the Sun with the Solar Dynamics Observatory.
However, critics point out that the speed of preparation is insufficient. High-voltage transformers continue to be custom-made, without strategic stock.
Would the world be able to protect itself if the Sun decided to unleash an explosion 100 times stronger tomorrow? For now, the honest answer is: probably not.
Finally, the two solar flares in April 2026 did not cause permanent damage. However, they serve as a rehearsal — a reminder that the Sun has the power to shut down modern civilization in a matter of hours, and that the window for preparation is closing.
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