Here's what's happening in space this week.
A massive solar flare exploded from the sun on Saturday, creating radio blackouts in South America, and researchers predict more to come.
According to the Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC), the sun released a massive solar flare over the weekend that peaked at 10:48 EST on February 11. The flare was classified as an X1.1 flare, one of the most powerful classifications of solar flares.
The flare was emitted from an area of the sun called Active Region 2317. Researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and SWPC say that more flares should be expected from this region.
A solar flare is an intense explosion of radiation coming from the release of magnetic energy from the sun, according to NASA. They can last anywhere from minutes to hours and are the largest explosive events in our solar system.
NASA classifies solar flares according to their strength, with the smallest being A-class flares, and the largest being X-class flares. The energy output of each ranking is ten times stronger than the previous ranking, according to NASA. Within the X-class, flares can be ranked from X1 all the way to X28.
NASA says the largest solar events can produce as much energy as a billion hydrogen bombs. In powerful flares, the sun releases a massive amount of plasma and solar material known as Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs).
If released in the direction of Earth, this can create radiation storms that can harm satellites and radio communication systems. The flare over the weekend did not release a CME but did cause temporary radio blackouts in South America.
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