On what part of the sun does a solar flare come from?
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Answer:
A flare is defined as a sudden, rapid, and intense variation in brightness. A solar flare occurs when magnetic energy that has built up in the solar atmosphere is suddenly released. Radiation is emitted across virtually the entire electromagnetic spectrum, from radio waves at the long wavelength end, through optical emission to x-rays and gamma rays at the short wavelength end. The amount of energy released is the equivalent of millions of 100-megaton hydrogen bombs exploding at the same time! The first solar flare recorded in astronomical literature was on September 1, 1859. Two scientists, Richard C. Carrington and Richard Hodgson, were independently observing sunspots at the time, when they viewed a large flare in white light.
Having said all that,try your local library,there are many books on solar flares.
It's explosive surface, I guess.
Forgive the lingo but I'm not sure of the "official" terms
From what I remember, it's just like a volcanic eruption here on earth. Hotter stuff from underneath shoots up and out. The gravity of the sun pulls the stuff straight back down. The reason it doesn't spread like an eruption here is that when heat "shoots" up, it forms a sort of vortex that spins and keeps itself semi-entact.
That's my best guess anyways.
They occur on the photosphere. A solar flare, or prominence, occurs because of the Sun's strong magnetic energy. It is the Sun's magnetic energy which causes parts of the star to 'dampen down' or become cooler. This results in Sun Spots. However, this magnetism also causes a sudden release of energy, resulting in flames of fire, containing mostly hydrogen (the Sun's main gas), leaping thousands of kilometers into space. Energy from the sun's Solar Flares and Prominences can reach the Earth after about 24 hours. This causes auroras - Multi-colored light shows - in the sky visible from Earth. These prominences also disturbs the Earth's atmosphere. Because this atmosphere is used by radio waves to bounce messages and signals from one place to another, a solar prominence will also cause radio interference.
solar flares occur at the sun's surface, in the sun's atmosphere (photosphere). however, the forces that cause a solar flare (variations in magnetism, etc.) originate inside the sun. you can find a lot of information about this at a library in books on astronomy and astrophysics.
you also may want to check out:
The Mysterious Origins of Solar Flares
New observations are beginning to reveal what triggers these huge explosions of the sun's atmosphere
By Gordon D. Holman
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanid=...
Solar Flare Theory
http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=a0geustanzzffw...
Anywhere on its surface. However, we can only see those that occur at 90 degrees to our line of sight, since the brilliance of the sun obscurs all others.
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