There was a massive M-1 class solar flare today, caused by the explosion of sunspot AR3112.
Many solar flares have hit Earth in recent months, and more are on the way as the Sun continues its 11-year solar cycle. Spaceweather.com reports that the Sun just released a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME), sending solar debris rushing towards Earth. There is a risk of geomagnetic storms today when these CMEs travel to Earth.
Sunspot AR3112, which has been in a precarious position for some days, exploded today, generating a powerful M-1 class solar flare. Sunspots, as defined by NASA, are black regions on the solar surface that are home to high magnetic fields and undergo rapid formation and dissipation over the course of many solar days or weeks. They happen when powerful magnetic fields break through the surface of the sun and cause the surrounding region to cool.
Potential causes include the emission of an X-rated solar outburst. This solar flare was expected to reach Earth, as predicted by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), however the data stream was cut off before analysis could be completed. Flares from the sun are rated from A (the weakest) to X (the strongest), with A being the weakest and X being the most harmful.
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On the other hand, this is not the first time that the Sun has been seen emitting such large bursts of energy; in fact, it happens very often. In the month of April, NASA was also successful in capturing an image of a solar flare with the help of the Solar Dynamics Observatory. A potentially hazardous solar flare was identified during the same month by the Centre of Excellence for Space Sciences of India, also known as CESSI. This solar flare has the potential to disrupt satellite communications as well as global positioning systems.
Solar flares, by themselves, do not have a deleterious affect on human beings; but, the discharge of magnetic energy that is created by solar flares may wreak havoc on technical gadgets. Solar flares are caused when magnetic energy is released from the sun.
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 "Photo: NASA")
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