Major X1.2 Solar Flare - First strong CME is now impacting Earth - Jan 9, 2014

Giant sunspot AR1944 is directly facing Earth and crackling with solar flares.

On Jan. 7th, an X1-class explosion in the sunspot's magnetic canopy hurled a CME in our direction.

The eruption occurred while in an earth-facing position which means the resulting Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) will have a strong earth directed component.

Impact on earths magnetic field is expected in the early morning hours of January 9 where strong Geomagnetic storms will be possible.

The X1-flare that hurled the CME toward Earth also accelerated a swarm of high-energy protons in our direction. This ongoing radiation storm ranks S2 on NOAA storm scales.

According to NOAA, "passengers and crew in high-flying aircraft at high latitudes may be exposed to elevated radiation risk" during such a storm. 

Orbital Sciences Corp. scrubbed today's launch of their Antares supply rocket to the International Space Station in response to the ongoing solar radiation storm and Astronauts need to be in their safe room and have scrambled to do so.

According to Nasa: "This will be a 34 hour event and the entire Earth will be under Pressure."

More flares are in the offing. The sunspot has an unstable 'beta-gamma-delta' magnetic field that is likely to erupt again within days.