A solar flare is a sudden brightening observed over the Sun's surface. The amount released is about a sixth of the total energy output of the Sun each second - or 160 billion megatons of TNT. The flare ejects clouds of 
Nasa scientists have captured images of a dramatic solar flare - a massive release of energy from the Sun.
electrons, ions and atoms through the corona of the Sun into space. These clouds typically reach Earth a day or two after the event. The Sun released another flare on July 6, which caused a radio blackout. It was labelled as an R3 on the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administrations scale that goes from R1 to R5.Source: The Coming Crisis
