NASA said it is closely monitoring space weather conditions in order to protect astronauts and its spacecrafts from harmful radiations of the intense solar storm that has been unleashed yesterday.

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station are not in danger, NASA officials said.

According to NASA, the sun erupted late on January 22, 2012 with an M8.7 class flare, an earth-directed coronal mass ejection (CME), and a burst of fast moving, highly energetic protons known as a "solar energetic particle" event.

Radiation from Sunday's flare arrived at Earth an hour later and will likely continue through to Thursday. This storm is the strongest for radiation since May 2005 as radiation in the form of protons came flying out of the sun at 150 million kilometres per hour, according to experts.

Since the mid-1700s, scientist have been monitoring sunspot activity in 11-year cycles, and it has been observed that a large number of sunspots during the end of the activity cycle or solar maximum could translate into devastation for nuclear plants, power grids and have a destructive effect on our means of survival.

Late last year, there was a prediction that in 2012, violent solar flares will explode causing relentless radiation storms that will result in the devastation of nuclear plants and power grids, cause a crippling effect on communication systems, and destroying our current way of life.

According to scientists, in the event of such a solar storm, medical technology, navigational systems for airlines, communication systems and television are a few of the satellite-reliant luxuries that could be destroyed.

Radiation from Sunday's flare came in the form of protons at 93 million miles per hour, making this storm is the strongest for radiation since May 2005, according to experts.

"The whole volume of space between here and Jupiter is just filled with protons and you just don't get rid of them like that," Biesecker said. That's why the effects will stick around for a couple days.

According Spaceweather.com, the coronal mass ejection "will deliver a strong glancing blow to Earth's magnetic field on Jan. 24-25 as it sails mostly north of our planet."

Meanwhile, NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Centerhas issued a geomagnetic storm watch, with polar flights expected to be re-routed.