NASA is reporting the first significant solar flare of 2014. The flare, which occurred at 1:32 p.m. EST on Jan. 7, is listed as a X1.2-class. Solar flares release significant amounts of radiation and, while the Earth is protected from the radiation by the atmosphere, it can cause disruption to GPS and other communication signals.

Solar flares are measured by their peak in terms of watts per square meter, as measured by Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) satellites. There are A, B, C, M and X class flares with X class flares being the strongest. Each letter grouping is divided into 9 categories A1 – X9, flares above X9 are called super flares. The most powerful solar flare on record was a X28 which occurred in 2003. According to Phys.org:

A powerful X-class flare like that can create long lasting radiation storms, which can harm satellites and even give airline passengers, flying near the poles, small radiation doses. X flares also have the potential to create global transmission problems and world-wide blackouts.

Continually updated information on solar flare activity, radiation storms and potential radio blackouts can be found on the US National Weather Service’s Space Weather Prediction Center website. You can also sign up for email alerts on the site.

Source: Eurekalert