Space Weather Starts on the Sun Though the Sun is a constant in our lives, it's not a tranquil place. Under the surface lies a restless world of unbelievable power. Deep within the Sun, titanic energies are released that bubble and boil to the surface. This energy frequently causes the surface of our star to violently erupt. Magnetic Loops Hot tubes of plasma, called magnetic loops, arc thousands of miles above the Sun, following invisible lines of magnetic force. Prominences Prominences are like magnetic loops but much, much bigger. See how they compare to Earth. And sometimes they can explode. Flares Intense explosions on the Sun, called solar flares, spew X-rays, gamma rays, and radio waves into space along with high energy particle radiation. More about Solar Flares, click here. CMEs The Sun’s atmosphere churns and frequently explodes. Huge blasts from the corona are known as coronal mass ejections, or CMEs. More about CMEs, click here.