14 DAY TRIAL // This past September 2, NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in the US) released a video describing two of the fits our Sun likes to throw surprisingly often.
The video, available below, explains the differences between solar flares and coronal mass ejections, both of which are classified as explosions that occur on the surface of the Sun.
According to NASA scientists, solar flares are basically massive bursts of X-rays and energy that, when released, travel in all directions at the speed of light.
Coronal mass ejections, sometimes referred to simply as CMEs, are freakishly big clouds of particles that the Sun sends into space every once in a while.
Because they are different things, solar flares and coronal mass ejections look the same when observed by astronomers. Thus, solar flares look like flashes of light, whereas coronal mass ejections resemble eruptions.
Mind you, footage of both these types of solar explosions is included in the video, so you won't have to use your imagination to figure out what NASA researchers are talking about.
These being said, there is still one thing that bugs me and that NASA is yet to clarify: where on Earth does it get its music from? 'Cause the soundtrack to this video is freakin' awesome.
