Solar flare

A solar flare is a sudden, intense release of magnetic energy in the Sun’s atmosphere. It produces bursts of radiation and can accelerate energetic particles.

Magnetic reconnection: A process in which magnetic fields reorganize and release stored magnetic energy. It is the main mechanism that powers flare energy release.
Space weather: Conditions in space influenced by solar activity and capable of affecting Earth and its technological systems. Flares are a major source of space-weather radiation and disturbances.
Coronal mass ejection: A large eruption of magnetized plasma from the Sun into interplanetary space. A flare is a burst of radiation; a coronal mass ejection expels plasma.
Carrington Event: A powerful 1859 geomagnetic storm associated with a major solar eruption. It illustrates the severe technological effects that a solar eruption can trigger.
Solar corona: The Sun’s hot, tenuous outer atmosphere, extending millions of kilometers into space. Most flare energy is released in the corona and its magnetic structures.
Solar flare forecasting: The prediction of the likelihood, timing, or strength of solar flares. Forecasts use flare precursors to estimate short-term radiation hazards.
Solar prominence: A large, relatively cool structure of dense plasma suspended in the solar corona. Prominence eruptions can accompany flares but are a different visible structure.
Solar flare of 1859: The exceptionally bright solar flare observed by Richard Carrington on September 1, 1859. Its direct observation linked a solar flare to a geomagnetic disturbance.
Solar flare loop: An arched structure of hot plasma confined by magnetic fields during a solar flare. Loops trace the magnetic field lines heated by flare energy release.
Solar Dynamics Observatory: A NASA spacecraft launched in 2010 to observe the Sun continuously. Its imaging and measurements track flare onset and evolution.

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