Dude! Major X-7 Solar Flare! Amazing Footage & Explanatory Information, As Well As A Forecast.

Time for the X-Class Flares...


MAJOR SOLAR FLARE: This morning at 0805 UT, sunspot 1263 produced a powerful X7-class solar flare. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured the explosion's extreme ultraviolet flash:

The brunt of the explosion was not Earth directed. Nevertheless, a minor proton storm is in progress around our planet, which could affect satellites in high-altitude orbits. Also, radiation from flare created waves of ionization in Earth's upper atmosphere, briefly disrupting communications at some VLF and HF radio frequencies.
SOHO coronagraphs show a CME emerging from the blast site. The cloud will probably miss Earth. At this time, however, we cannot rule out a glancing blow from the flank of the CME on or about August 11th. Stay tuned for updates.
http://spaceweather.com/
more data: from Rob Stammes of Laukvik, Lofoten, Norway; from Andy Smith of Devon, United Kingdom.  

NOAA Forecasts

Updated at: 2011 Aug 08 2200 UTC

FLARE	0-24 hr	24-48 hr
CLASS M	55 %	55 %
CLASS X	10 %	10 %

The Classification of X-ray Solar Flares
or "Solar Flare Alphabet Soup"

A solar flare is an explosion on the Sun that happens when energy stored in twisted magnetic fields (usually above sunspots) is suddenly released. Flares produce a burst of radiation across the electromagnetic spectrum, from radio waves to x-rays and gamma-rays. [more information]
Scientists classify solar flares according to their x-ray brightness in the wavelength range 1 to 8 Angstroms. There are 3 categories: X-class flares are big; they are major events that can trigger planet-wide radio blackouts and long-lasting radiation storms. M-class flares are medium-sized; they can cause brief radio blackouts that affect Earth's polar regions. Minor radiation storms sometimes follow an M-class flare. Compared to X- and M-class events, C-class flares are small with few noticeable consequences here on Earth.
This figure shows a series of solar flares detected by NOAA satellites in July 2000:





 
Each category for x-ray flares has nine subdivisions ranging from, e.g., C1 to C9, M1 to M9, and X1 to X9. In this figure, the three indicated flares registered (from left to right) X2, M5, and X6. The X6 flare triggered a radiation storm around Earth nicknamed the Bastille Day event.

Class	Peak (W/m2)between 1 and 8 Angstroms
B	I < 10-6
C	10-6 < = I < 10-5
M	10-5 < = I < 10-4
X	I > = 10-4

http://spaceweather.com/glossary/flareclasses.html