image courtesy of the National Science Foundation
"A solar flare is an intense burst of radiation coming from the release of magnetic energy associated with sunspots. Flares are our solar system’s largest explosive events. They are seen as bright areas on the sun and they can last from minutes to hours. We typically see a solar flare by the photons (or light) it releases, at most every wavelength of the spectrum. The primary ways we monitor flares are in x-rays and optical light. Flares are also sites where particles (electrons, protons, and heavier particles) are accelerated."~ NASA
"Flares reach maximum brightness within a few minutes, then fade away over about an hour. They eject a burst of atomic particles into space at up to 1,000 kps/600 mps. When these particles reach Earth they can cause radio blackouts, disruptions of the Earth's magnetic field, and auroras.
In 2003 astronomers using the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) observed the biggest solar flare ever recorded. Solar flare strength is given an ‘X’ designation ranging from a minimum X1 up to X20 (the latter being the magnitude of the previous largest recorded solar flare, in 2001). The 2003 flare was so powerful that it overloaded the measuring devices, and estimates of its magnitude placed it at around X28." ~ The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
"On March 13, 2012, the sun erupted with an M7.9-class flare that peaked at 1:41 p.m. EDT. This flare was from the same active region, No. 1429, that has been producing flares and coronal mass ejections all week. That region has been moving across the face of the sun since March 2, and will soon rotate out of Earth view."~NASA
Dr. Eric Deyo, FHSU Department of Physics
ecdeyo@fhsu.edu 785.628.4501
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