Madison Schlichte 
A solar flare bursting from the sun. Photo: NASA/SDO/Goddard
By Madison Schlichte, Zatoria Thompson and Matthew Emmanuel
APR 11, 2019
The universe is a very special and unique place. Outer space is a whole world full of science and discovery. Many events that seem impossible become possible and do exist outside the earth’s atmosphere. Solar flares, sunspots and coronal mass ejections all contribute to the extraordinary spectacle beyond this planet. These phenomena combine to make solar storms. One of the byproducts of these storms is the Aurora Borealis, which is visible from earth.
Solar activity takes place when each of the previously mentioned conditions occur. According to the Nasa Space Place website, sunspots are areas that are darker in color because they are colder than the rest of the sun. Solar flares start near a sunspot when magnetic field lines “… tangle, cross, and reorganize”. Although the sun is nearly 96 million miles away, these explosions of energy can interfere with communications on earth. Solar flares are the catalyst for a series of events. They “are sometimes accompanied by a coronal mass ejection (CME). CMEs are huge bubbles of radiation and particles from the Sun,” according to the Nasa Space Place website.
Outside of the world’s atmosphere, the universe is a place of colors and lights. It’s a place where beautiful, crazy things happen every minute.
Video: NASA/Walt Feimer
