A shockwave from the Sun hit the Earth Wednesday, the final burst from a solar hurricane that has hampered some space satellite transmissions and led electric grid operators to curb power transmissions as a precaution. Scientists said the cloud of charged particles, known as a coronal mass ejection (CME), unleashed by a hyperactive Sun was traveling at more than 5 million mph, reaching the Earth in just 19 hours.

Another major solar storm appears headed for Earth, following the unexpectedly early arrival of a geomagnetic blast Wednesday.

The third most powerful solar X-ray flare on record, a remarkable X17.2 category explosion, erupted from sunspot 10486 on Tuesday, 28 October 2003.