Solar Flares

Guide Note

Solar Flares are the sudden and explosive release of energy from the sun. The flares appear near sun spots along the dividing lines. The flares can release as much energy as a billion megatons of TNT. They usually produce violent electromagnetic radiation.

Energy Forms and Characteristics

Solar Flares energy is released in many forms from Gamma Rays and X-Rays, energetic particles protons and electrons, and what scientists call mass flow. The flares are characterized by the brightness they portray in X-Rays. Smaller flares are designated as C class, the largest are designated X class.

Hazards

Solar Flares can fluctuate in the hazards they create for humans and Earth. Small class flares cause interference with our radio communication, satellites, and GPS. Large class flares can pose extreme danger for our astronauts and space craft by exposing them to high levels of electromagnetic radiation.

Solar Flare Discovery

Richard Carrington made the first discovery of Solar Flares while observing sun spots on September 1, 1859. Carrington noted that the flare happened rapidly spreading to a space of about 35,000 miles in a matter of five minutes.

Observing Solar Flares

Solar Flares are observed using H-alpha Telescopes to isolate the light produced by the hydrogen atoms. A lot of the observatories capture pictures of the sun with these telescopes every couple of seconds to monitor the flares.

Fast Facts

  1. Three Categories: X-class, M-class, and C-class
  2. Activity ranges from Several a day to only a few a month
  3. Magnitude can equal the power of 10 million volcanic eruptions
  4. Can cause disturbances in the Earth’s magnetic field
  5. Can heat to temperatures of 80 million degrees fahrenheit
  6. Can disrupt satellite communications and electric power lines on Earth

Notable Solar Flares
  1. September 1, 1859 first solar flare witnessed by Richard Carrington
  2. April 2, 2001 X20
  3. November 4, 2003 X28
  4. January 20, 2005 solar fireworks

The Mahalo Top 7

  1. Wikipedia.com: Solar Flares
  2. Exploratorium Museum of Science: Solar Flares
  3. NASA: Solar Flares
  4. Space.com All About Solar Flares
  5. American Physical Society: About Solar Flares
  6. University of Tennessee: Solar Flares
  7. Dailymotion Video: Countdown to Doomsday Solar Flares (Time: 7:43) Stephanie: Awesome video

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