On Monday, NASA confirmed that a strong solar flare had hit the Earth, disrupting GPS and radio signals.

The Sun emitted a strong solar flare, peaking at 4:25 p.m. EDT on Oct. 2, 2022. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, which watches the Sun constantly, captured an image of the event.

A solar flare is an intense blast of energy from the Sun that emerges from its volatile atmosphere and experts say these eruptions can lead to possible problems for radio communications, electric power grids and navigation signals.

NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (NSDO), tracking the Sun’s activity, says a smattering of radio blackouts were observed following the eruption of electromagnetic radiation.

According to Nasa the flare is classified as an X1 flare. 

X-class denotes the most intense flares, while the number provides more information about its strength

Experts say powerful solar storms and flares can wreak havoc on our planet’s magnetic field and can disrupt power grids and communications networks.

“Harmful radiation from a flare cannot pass through Earth’s atmosphere to physically affect humans on the ground,” Nasa says.

“However – when intense enough – they can disturb the atmosphere in the layer where GPS and communications signals travel.”

The NSDO also captured an incredible image of the rare event.

“The image shows a subset of extreme ultraviolet light that highlights the extremely hot material in flares and which is colourised in orange,” NASA said in a statement alongside the image.