Solar Flare

sun · space weather · electromagnetic radiation · solar cycles

Intense energy bursts. Solar flares are powerful explosions in the Sun's atmosphere that release massive amounts of electromagnetic radiation, kind of like the most extreme fireworks show imaginable happening on our nearest star.

Often bring companions. Solar flares frequently travel with coronal mass ejections and solar particle events, which means they often send showers of charged particles streaming toward Earth and other planets.

Follow a pattern. Solar flares happen more often during certain years, following an 11-year solar cycle where the Sun gets more active, then calms down, then starts building up again.

Affect Earth and tech. When powerful solar flares send their energy our way, they can create beautiful aurora displays in our sky and sometimes interfere with satellites, power grids, and radio communications.

Happen in active regions. Solar flares always occur in special areas of the Sun called active regions, where the Sun's magnetic field is twisted and tangled up like messy hair.