How do astronomers know when a sunspot is going to flare?
2007-04-18 06:28:04 · 4 answers · asked by SpaceMan 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
it's related to the way you know you're about to sneeze before it happens. first the sun starts breathing heavily. Then it will cover its mouth with one of its flaring arms. Then... kablamo! a solar sneeze
2007-04-18 06:36:30 · answer #1 · answered by Josh E 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Essentially, a sunspot IS a flare, or at least the point where it's attached to the Sun. What astronomers do is observe the flares and the types and levels of radiation they are giving off. Then they can make predictions about what effect the slower particles will have on Earth's atmosphere. The radiation takes eight minutes to arrive. The other stuff takes a few days. That's how they "know".
2007-04-18 06:37:20 · answer #2 · answered by skepsis 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Flares are explosions that occur in the atmosphere of the sun. The only way we know about them is to observe them They're not related to sunspots. When a flare occurs we have a few days before the particles associated with the explosion reach us.
Read here --
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_flares
2007-04-18 06:47:19 · answer #3 · answered by Gene 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They start having sinus trouble.
2007-04-18 06:36:15 · answer #4 · answered by Ben 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋