Probe takes look at menace of solar flares

Violent explosions on the surface of the sun are to be investigated by a space probe being launched by British scientists.

Solar B will study the solar flares that can disrupt electronics on Earth and prove hazardous to astronauts. …

"They can cause communication blackouts at Earth within 30 minutes of a flare erupting on the sun's surface. It's imperative that we understand what triggers these events with the ultimate aim of being able to predict them with greater accuracy," said Dr Louise Harra [UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory], principal investigator on the Solar B mission. …

The Solar B craft will launch from Japan on September 23 and will join another UK-backed mission to the sun called Stereo, due to launch later this month. "The whole purpose of Stereo is to look at the large, global scale (of the sun)," said Dr Harra. "Solar B is looking at the detail, acting as a microscope in the buildup of a flare."

Alok Jha, 'The Guardian'