Space Weather Starts On The Sun

The Sun’s atmosphere (the corona) churns and frequently explodes.

Loops of magnetic fields arc above the surface, laden with clouds of electrified gas called plasma, the fourth state of matter. Plasma particles are blown away from the Sun in every direction-the solar wind-carrying millions of tons of matter at millions of miles per hour. There is a lot more to the Sun than just the solar wind. Intense explosions on the Sun, called solar flares, spew X-rays, gamma rays, and radio waves into space. Huge blasts, known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs), are the most violent space weather events.