What is a solar flare
What’s A Solar Flare... A solar flare is a sudden flash of increased brightness on the Sun, usually observed near its surface and in close proximity to a sunspot group. Powerful flares are often, but not always, accompanied by a coronal mass ejection. Even the most powerful flares are barely detectable in the total solar irradiance (the "solar constant").[1] Solar flares occur in a power-law spectrum of magnitudes; an energy release of typically 1020 joules of energy suffices to produce a clearly observable event, while a major event can emit up to 1025 joules.[2] Although originally observed in the visible electromagnetic spectrum, especially in the Hα emission line of hydrogen, they can now be detected from radio waves to gamma-rays. Flares are closely associated with the ejection of plasmas and particles through the Sun's corona into interplanetary space; flares also copiously emit radio waves. If the ejection is in the direction of the Earth, particles associated with...