Sunspot produces one of the most powerful solar flares of current cycle

A fast-growing dark patch on the Sun's surface kicked off the month of October by shooting out an intense burst of radiation toward Earth. The fast-growing sunspot, a region dubbed AR3842, erupted Tuesday evening, producing the second-strongest solar flare thus far in Solar Cycle 25. A solar flare is a strong eruption of high-energy radiation associated with sunspots—dark, planet-sized regions of strong magnetic fields on the surface of the Sun....