Solar flares and coronal mass ejections: They can generate beautiful aurorae, but those same energetic particles can damage orbiting spacecraft or unprotected astronauts. SunRISE is an upcoming NASA mission aimed at better understanding these solar temper tantrums. https://science.nasa.gov/mission/sunrise/ ☀️ Ready for some Sun science even sooner? The Parker Solar Probe begins its closest flybys of the Sun tomorrow (Dec. 24)! Follow @NASASun for coverage. | NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Solar Energetic Particles (SEPs) are one of the main challenges for the future of human spaceflight — they can fry sensitive spacecraft electronics and pose serious risks to human astronauts — but their onset is extraordinarily hard to predict, in part because we still don’t know exactly where on the Sun they come from. Now, a new study tracing three SEP bursts back to the Sun has provided the first answer: https://go.nasa.gov/2PXuRkF | Space 360

AR9077 • Solar Magnetic Arcade the Bastille Slinky • On July 14th 2000, solar active region 9077 (AR9077) produced a massive flare. The event also blasted an enormous cloud of energetic charged particles toward planet Earth, triggering magnetic storms and dramatic auroral displays. This striking close-up of AR9077 was made by the orbiting TRACE satellite shortly after the flare erupted. It shows million degree hot solar plasma cooling down while suspended in an arcade of magnetic loops. This fal