First sightings of solar flare phenomena confirm 3D models of space weather

Video of magnetic field lines "slipping reconnection" bring scientists a step closer to predicting when and where large flares will occur. Human civilisation is nowadays maintained by technology and that technology is vulnerable to space weather. Dr Jaroslav Dudik Scientists have for the first time witnessed the mechanism behind explosive energy releases in the Sun's atmosphere, confirming new theories about how solar flares are created. New footage put together by an international team led by University of Cambridge researchers shows how entangled magnetic field lines looping from the Sun's surface slip around each other and lead to an eruption 35 times the size of the Earth and an explosive release of magnetic energy into space. The discoveries of a gigantic energy build-up bring us a step closer to predicting when and where large flares will occur, which is crucial in protecting the Earth from potentially devastating space weather. The study is published in The Astrophysical Journal . While solar flares have long been a spectacular reminder of our star's power, they are also associated with Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) - eruptions of solar material with a twisted magnetic structure flying out of the Sun and into interplanetary space.