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 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.