Question: what are solar flares and how are they caused?

Connor Macrae answered on 16 Jun 2015:

Solar flares are caused by the release of built up magnetic energy. When we have sunspots appear on the sun, this shows us that magnetic fields are emerging from inside the Sun and creating huge arches in the atmosphere. the strange rotation of the Sun (differential rotation) leads the the magnetic fields become all twisted up with each other. At some point, the fields will become so twisted that they break, and reconnect in a more preferable way. This breaking and reconnecting of the field (called magnetic re-connection) is what produces the solar flare. The released energy accelerates particles that then produces a large amount of radiation. Sometimes, a flare is followed by a CME (coronal mass ejection). These are when actual material from the Sun is thrown into space – sometimes they are on a collision course with us on Earth – leading to impressive magnetic storm in our sky, lighting it up just like the northern lights. These CME’s can actually be so large they damage electrical systems on the ground!