http://www.newsweek.com/dangerous-sunspot-fired-x-class-solar-flare-turned-earth-1771862

A "dangerous" sunspot fired an intense "X-class" solar flare toward Earth, resulting in a radio blackout across the South Pacific region.

The intense solar flare was spewed out by a newly emerging sunspot identified as AR3182, with NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) recording the eruption on Friday shortly before 1 a.m. Universal Coordinated Time, or 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on Thursday.