"At 2:39 p.m. Moscow time (11:39 a.m. GMT) on January 3, an X 1.2 class solar flare that lasted 20 minutes was registered," the research institute said in a statement, TASS reported.

Two flares of similar intensity, X 1.1. and X 1.5, were last reported on December 30.

Solar flares are usually accompanied with bursts of solar plasma that can trigger geomagnetic storms upon reaching Earth.