What is a solar flare easy definition?

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.

What are prominences on the Sun?

A solar prominence (also known as a filament when viewed against the solar disk) is a large, bright feature extending outward from the Sun’s surface. Prominences are anchored to the Sun’s surface in the photosphere, and extend outwards into the Sun’s hot outer atmosphere, called the corona.

What is a sunspot on the Sun?

Sunspots are areas where the magnetic field is about 2,500 times stronger than Earth’s, much higher than anywhere else on the Sun. The sunspots appear relatively dark because the surrounding surface of the Sun (the photosphere) is about 10,000 degrees F., while the umbra is about 6,300 degrees F.

What is the Sun storm?

A solar storm is a disturbance on the Sun, which can emanate outward across the heliosphere, affecting the entire Solar System, including Earth and its magnetosphere, and is the cause of space weather in the short-term with long-term patterns comprising space climate.

Why do solar flares happen?

Flares occur when intense magnetic fields on the Sun become too tangled. Like a rubber band that snaps when it is twisted too far, the tangled magnetic fields release energy when they “snap”. Solar flares burst forth from the intense magnetic fields in the vicinity of active regions on the Sun.

What is a prominence?

A prominence, referred to as a filament when viewed against the solar disk, is a large, bright, gaseous feature extending outward from the Sun’s surface, often in a loop shape. Prominences are anchored to the Sun’s surface in the photosphere, and extend outwards into the solar corona.

What is the difference between a prominence and a filament?

When viewed spewing from the edge of the Sun against the darkness of space, astronomers call the feature a prominence. But when seen against the background of the Sun, from a different perspective, the feature appears darker than its surroundings and is called a filament.