Active sunspot fires solar flares, CME toward Earth

2013 is currently at the solar maximum, which is the most active part of the sun's 11-year cycle of solar flare activity.

Solar flares erupt with tremendous heat, but don't worry; it dissipates before reaching Earth. But they can temporarily alter the upper atmosphere and create memorable disruptions. Your GPS could send you to the wrong location.

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of the X1.2 class solar flare on May 14.

Starting at the top left and going clockwise, you can see the size of each of the four most recent solar flares.

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory took these images of the same X3.2-class flare from that erupted on May 13. NASA described the images:

"Starting in the upper left and going clockwise, the images show light in the 304-, 335-, 193-, and 131-angstrom wavelengths. By looking at the sun in different wavelengths, scientists can view solar material at different temperatures, and thus learn more about what causes flares."

Here are the first three X-class solar flares that were launched in under 24 hours on May 12-13.

This image of the May 13 flare, shown in the upper left corner, was captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory in light of 131 angstroms,

Here's a look at the sun today, and the latest solar forecast from the Space Weather Prediction Center:

"Region 1748 was unproductive in the past 24 hours, but the S1 (Minor) Solar Radiation storm persists. Forecasters have re-analyzed yesterday's CME and now predict it to glance by the Earth's magnetic field late on May 17. No change in the magnitude, however, still predicted to be less than storm levels. Things can change quickly, so check here for updates."

The first solar flare on May 12 put on a spectacular show from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory.