Teh european Space Agency’s (ESA) Solar Orbiter has revealed that solar flares-powerful bursts of energy from the Sun-are triggered by a process called magnetic reconnection, specifically through what scientists are calling “magnetic avalanches.” These avalanches release energy that fuels the flares, and are a key component in understanding space weather.
Understanding solar Flares
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Solar flares are sudden releases of energy from the Sun, often associated with sunspots. They emit radiation across the electromagnetic spectrum, from radio waves to X-rays and gamma rays. According to the European Space Agency, these flares can disrupt radio communications, damage satellites, and even pose a risk to astronauts.
The Role of Magnetic Avalanches
magnetic avalanches are a cascade of magnetic reconnection events. Magnetic reconnection occurs when magnetic field lines break and reconnect, releasing energy. The Solar Orbiter, launched on September 30, 2024, observed these avalanches in detail, providing new insights into how they contribute to the energy buildup and subsequent release in solar flares. The probe began collecting data on November 2, 2024, and has since been providing unprecedented views of the Sun’s polar regions.
Findings from the Solar Orbiter
Data from the Solar Orbiter revealed that these magnetic avalanches can release energy equivalent to approximately 40 million times the energy of a lightning strike. This energy release heats the plasma in the solar atmosphere, leading to the intense radiation observed during flares. The observations suggest that the size of the avalanche is directly related to the intensity of the resulting flare. The ESA notes that these findings help explain how the Sun’s magnetic field can store and release vast amounts of energy.
The research, published in January 2026, builds on previous observations and provides a more complete picture of the processes driving solar activity. The Solar Orbiter continues to gather data, and scientists expect further discoveries that will refine our understanding of the Sun and its impact on Earth.
(Source: Taipei City Government News and ESA)
Solar Flares Powered by ‘Magnetic Avalanches,’ Finds Solar Orbiter
The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Solar orbiter has discovered that solar flares-powerful bursts of energy from the Sun-are triggered by what scientists are calling “magnetic avalanches.” These avalanches release energy stored in the Sun’s magnetic field, ultimately resulting in the explosive release of energy we observe as flares. This finding helps explain how solar flares can occur so rapidly and release such immense amounts of energy.
The Solar Orbiter began observations in september 2024, and its instruments detected these magnetic avalanches as they built up before a flare. The data revealed that the energy released during the avalanche is directly proportional to the size of the flare, confirming a long-held theory about the relationship between magnetic energy and flare intensity. The ESA reported that these avalanches can release energy equivalent to 40 billion megatons of TNT.
â-² The Solar Orbiter observed the solar flare’s magnetic avalanche, showing how energy builds up and is released in the Sun’s atmosphere, contributing to both solar flares and coronal mass ejections.
Researchers found that the avalanches precede the flares by approximately two hours, providing a crucial window for predicting these events. Understanding the dynamics of these avalanches could improve space weather forecasting, which is vital for protecting satellites and power grids on earth. The ESA also noted that this year’s observations have revealed a new understanding of how the magnetic field lines interact and contribute to the energy release.
The findings, published on January 31, 2026, by the ESA, build on previous research and provide the most detailed observations to date of the processes leading up to a solar flare.ESA
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