Solar flare

A large emission of energetic solar particles ejected into space by the Sun.

(Adapted from ICRP Publication 132, 2016)

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from ICRP Publication 132, 2016

A solar flare is a large emission of energetic solar particles ejected into space by the Sun. The frequency of occurrence varies with solar activity from less than one per week to several per day. Large solar flares are less frequent than smaller solar flares. Solar flares can produce a stream of energetic particles in the solar wind known as ‘solar proton events’. When these particles can be observed by ground-based cosmic radiation detectors, they are called ‘ground-level events or enhancements’.