~”All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them”~ Galileo Galilei
In 1610, Galileo Galilei discovered sunspots on the sun in our solar system, showing that space was imperfect. However, little was known about these sun spots until the late 19th century. Astronomical researchers discovered that the sunspots were because of a certain phenomenon called space weather that occurs on the sun’s outer atmosphere, called the Corona. Solar flares, caused by space weather, emit charged particles and radiation throughout space. Solar winds can spread this energy throughout the solar system, including towards our Earth. One would expect that this solar energy would cause substantial damage to the Earth, however, our planet’s magnetosphere prevents highly charged particles and radiation from significantly effecting life on Earth. In fact, radiation that comes from the sun actually contribute to the beauty of our planet by producing Auroras, which are the light shows that are primarily seen by the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. These occur because of the association between the radiation from the sun and Earth’s atmosphere. Although these auroras are exquisite, solar storms can also cause radio blackouts. What happens is that the X-Rays that originate in the sun’s outer surface and spreads to Earth’s atmosphere via solar wind, will ultimately scatter radio waves. This disruption to the ionosphere leads to blackouts throughout the world.
It is very interesting to think about how durable our planet Earth actually is. The sun is an extremely massive object, reaching significantly high temperatures. Although this is true, the strong effects of the sun, especially the solar storms, have a relatively small impact on the Earth. This just goes to show how incredible our planet is, and how it can withstand harsh conditions, such as solar flares.
Katie Shapiro's Astronomy Blog 
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