Solar Flares 

* Solar flares are rapid and intense brightenings on the sun that release magnetic energy that has been built up in the solar atmosphere.

* Radiation is emitted across all wavelengths.  Most of it being in the form of x-rays.

* Flares also accelerate charged particles to almost the speed of light and hurls large amounts of mass into space.

* They last anywhere from seconds to a few hours and release energy on the order of approximately 10^27 ergs/sec.  This energy release is ten million times greater than the energy released during a volcanic eruption.

*Mass is heated to millions of degrees Kelvin.

This image is of the largest flare on record (X28).  
   It occured on November 4, 2003.


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