What are solar winds, solar flares and coronal mass ejections? understand the difference between

Many activities keep on happening in our Sun which gives energy to other planets including the Earth. Often we hear and read news about phenomena like ‘solar flare’, ‘coronal mass ejection’ and ‘solar wind’. The effect of these activities happening in the Sun sometimes reaches to the Earth. Today we will learn about these three activities from the perspective of the American Space Agency NASA, as well as understand the difference between them.

Coronal Mass Ejection (CME)

coronal mass ejection Or CMEs, are large clouds of solar plasma. After the solar explosion, these clouds are spread in space by the Sun’s magnetic field. Due to their rotation in space, they expand and often they reach a distance of several million miles. Sometimes it collides with the magnetic field of the planets. When their direction is towards the earth, it can cause geomagnetic disturbances. Due to these, there may be a short circuit in the satellites and the power grid may be affected. When their effect is high, they can also endanger the astronauts present in the Earth’s orbit.

solar flare

When the Sun’s magnetic energy is released, the light and particles it emits create solar flares. These flares are the most powerful explosions ever recorded in our solar system, releasing energy comparable to billions of hydrogen bombs. The energetic particles present in them traveling at the speed of light are also called coronal mass ejections.

solar wind

Solar wind or solar winds flow in every direction coming out of the Sun. It is helpful in taking the Sun’s magnetic field to space. These winds are much less dense than the winds blowing on the earth, but they have a very high speed. You can also understand this in such a way that the solar wind flows at a speed of more than 20 lakh kilometers per hour. They are made of electrons and ionized atoms, which interact with the Sun’s magnetic field. The boundary up to which the solar wind flows forms the ‘heliosphere’. This is the most influential area of ​​the Sun.