The twisted magnetic fields can snap back and explode, powering solar flares and coronal mass ejections.

BBC: Sun, Trace

Flares are associated with huge eruptions of matter from the Sun's atmosphere - known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs).

BBC: Four colossal Sun flares in 48 hours

The sunspot spawned what's called a coronal mass ejection, sending tons of radiation and highly energized particles into space.

CNN: Sun lets loose monumental flare

Very large coronal mass ejections are thought to happen every 500 years or so (the most recent was in 1859).

ECONOMIST: Disasters are about people and planning, not nature��s pomp

An eruption of hot plasma from the sun, called a coronal mass ejection, which could do damage to electricity grids over an entire continent, might fit the bill.

ECONOMIST: Disasters are about people and planning, not nature��s pomp

Astronauts would also be bombarded with solar energetic particles, which get accelerated close to the sun as a result of solar flares and coronal mass ejections that shoot portions of the sun into space.

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This past weekend saw a particularly stunning display following a phenomenon known as a coronal mass ejection, where the sun spews a burst of particles into space that reach Earth one to three days later.

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During his 32nd solar eclipse observation, the Harvard-trained astronomer is to study the elusive coronal ring, the outer atmosphere of the sun, which can only be seen when the moon blots out the solar disk.

CNN: Africa awaits total eclipse of the sun