Sun fires off 2nd-strongest flare of 2025, sparking radio blackouts across Africa

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The eruption was accompanied by a CME, which is currently under analysis to assess whether any part of it is headed for Earth.

three panel image showing the sun firing out an x class solar flare and accompnying CME
The eruption was accompanied by a CME, which is currently under analysis to assess whether any part of it is headed for Earth. (Image credit: Images: NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center, graphic created in Canva Pro.)

Coronal mass ejection released during the X-class solar flare eruption. (Image credit: NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center)

The sun fired off another major eruption today (Nov. 14), unleashing an intense X4-class flare, the second-most powerful eruption of 2025 so far, from the same hyperactive sunspot region that produced this year's record-setting X5 blast just days ago.

This dramatic outburst comes as AR4274 approaches the sun's western limb, meaning it is about to rotate out of view. This 'parting shot' eruption from one of the most prolific flare producers of Solar Cycle 25 was accompanied by a coronal mass ejection (CME). But due to the position of the sunspot region so close to the solar limb (the 'edge' as we see it), any associated CME would be less likely to be directed toward Earth. Space weather forecasters are monitoring coronagraph data to determine whether any portion of the released CME could clip our planet in the coming days.

What is an X-flare?

Solar flares are ranked in ascending strength from A, B, C and M up to X, with each letter representing a tenfold increase in intensity. X-class flares are the strongest eruptions and the number following the X indicates how powerful the event is. An X.4 puts today's flare in the upper tier of solar outbursts.

Unlike CMEs, which launch clouds of magnetized plasma into space, solar flares release bursts of electromagnetic radiation that reach Earth in about 8 minutes. Today's flare rapidly ionized the upper atmosphere, disrupting long-range radio communications on the sunlit portion of Earth.

Radio blackouts associated with the X4 solar flare on Nov. 14. (Image credit: NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center)
Daisy Dobrijevic
Daisy Dobrijevic
Reference Editor

Daisy Dobrijevic joined Space.com in February 2022 having previously worked for our sister publication All About Space magazine as a staff writer. Before joining us, Daisy completed an editorial internship with the BBC Sky at Night Magazine and worked at the National Space Centre in Leicester, U.K., where she enjoyed communicating space science to the public. In 2021, Daisy completed a PhD in plant physiology and also holds a Master's in Environmental Science, she is currently based in Nottingham, U.K. Daisy is passionate about all things space, with a penchant for solar activity and space weather. She has a strong interest in astrotourism and loves nothing more than a good northern lights chase!

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