An analysis of eight years of data reveals a possible telltale sign that a region of the sun is about to erupt.
Solar flares, powerful bursts of radiation from the sun, are often preceded by a pre-flare spark, scientists have discovered. The finding could lead to better predictions of solar storms, which can disrupt power grids and communications systems on Earth.
"Images of [the sun] have definitely been helping scientists and forecasters understand when an active region is likely to be flare-productive," Leka said. These explosions can manifest as either a solar flare or a coronal mass ejection . Solar flares are intense surges of X-rays and energy that shine in all directions. The electromagnetic energy moves at the speed of light and can arrive at Earth within 8 minutes. CMEs, by contrast, are explosions of highly charged particles that erupt in a particular direction. They move more slowly, at 155 to 1,900 miles per second ; it can take several days for a CME to sweep over Earth.
In thousands of terabytes of data from SDO, Leka and her team found that solar flares are often associated with a moment of brightness, like when you strike a match and it sparks before igniting. These sparks occurred up to one day before flares erupted from the same region of the sun, the authors found.
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