What is the difference between a Coronal Mass Ejection and a Solar Flare?
A Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) is just what its name says. The release of a large amount of material (plasma) from the Sun’s corona. This material streams outward as high velocity ions and electrons. A Solar Flare on the other hand is a sudden release of Electro-Magnetic Radiation above and beyond the Sun’s normal output. This burst of E-M radiation covers the spectrum from radio waves to extremely high gamma waves. It was once believed that CME events were triggered by Solar Flare activity but the causal relation is now doubted. The two are related phenomena which are triggered by the collapse of high energy density magnetic fields. In Solar flares, the sudden energy release triggers acceleration of particles ( heavy ions, electrons, etc) and heating of the surrounding material to 10 – 20 million degrees Kelvin. In extreme events the temperatures can reach over 100 million degrees Kelvin. Thus solar flares appear as bright areas within the solar active region as oppose to sunspots whic
