And what we've found is that there is striking similarity from flare to flare in how the X-rays these particles produce vary in time and energy. Their output at higher energies can affect the Earth's outer atmosphere and damage electronics on satellites. Scientists have a classification scheme for a flare's intensity that relates to the total X-ray flux or optical brightness. But it does not describe how the energies within the overall X-ray emission are distributed. Now, a trio of scientists says it's because the corona is heated by incessant mini-explosions, called microflares.
Physicists discover a new tool for predicting solar eruptions.
Sunspot cycle closely following prediction . Additional CME information is at Goddard Space Flight Center. External links Sigmoidal morphology and eruptive solar activity , the full paper by Canfield, Hudson, and McKenzie in the AGU's Geophysical Research Letters. Yohkoh Public Outreach Program , Coronal mass ejection prediction page and Coronal Mass Ejections FAQs at Montana State University in Bozeman. Yohkoh satellite home page at Japan's Institute of Space and Astronautical Sciences.