Solar Orbiter Reveals How Solar Flares Really Begin

Solar Orbiter Reveals How Solar Flares Really Begin

Scientists watched a solar flare grow from tiny magnetic sparks into a violent plasma-raining avalanche on the Sun. Like snow avalanches that start with a small shift before rapidly growing, new observations show that solar flares begin with weak magnetic disturbances that intensify quickly. Scientists using the ESA-led Solar Orbiter spacecraft found that these early [...]

ESA’s Solar Orbiter captures magnetic avalanche on Sun

New Delhi: The Solar Orbiter of the European Space Agency captured detailed images of an M-class flare erupting on the edge of the Sun on 30 September, 2024. This is the second-strongest category of solar flare. The observations were conducted from a distance of 45 million kilometres, about one-third of the distance between the Earth and the Sun. The M7.7 flare erupted serendipitously at the closest point in the orbit, providing an ideal, side-o…

ESA’s Solar Orbiter Reveals How Magnetic Avalanches Trigger Solar Flares

New observations from ESA’s Solar Orbiter show that solar flares can be triggered by cascading magnetic disturbances. During a close solar pass, the spacecraft captured fine details of twisted magnetic fields repeatedly breaking and reconnecting, creating a magnetic “avalanche” that amplified a small instability into a powerful flare. The findings offer new insight into how the Sun releases vast amounts of energy.