Scientists Can Now Predict Disruptions Caused by the Sun's Coronal Mass Ejections

People sometimes confuse CMEs with solar flares, but they are different phenomena.

Solar flares are explosions on the sun that occur when energy build up around sunspots, becoming so hot -- millions of degrees Fahrenheit -- that they produce a burst of electromagnetic radiation across the entire electromagnetic spectrum, from radio waves to x-rays and gamma rays.

CMEs were once thought to be the result of solar flares, but while they sometimes accompany solar flares, there is no direct relation between the two.

They occur when a large bubble of plasma escapes through a star's corona and travels through space to the earth at high speeds over the course of several hours.

If a CME collides with the earth, it can produce a geomagnetic storm, which can cause electrical power outages and damage communications satellites and electronic equipment.

Solar flares, on the other hand, affect radio communications

Sun Darkens Electronics -- Space Physicists and Atmospheric Scientists Can Now Predict Disruptions Caused by the Sun's Coronal Mass Ejections