Are they dangerous?
Lots of particles (bits of atoms) get shot out of a flare,
electrons,
protons and
other nuclei.
They move really fast, so fast that they escape
from the Sun into space where they can hit satellites,
astronauts and spacecraft.
This can be very dangerous if the astronauts are on a space walk.
If we could predict when a flare is going to happen, we could
setup an `early warning system', to set off a `space alarm'.
This is an important reason for trying to understand solar flares,
besides just for the fun of it.
The Earth is protected by a blanket, an atmosphere,
so these particles don't harm us. The blanket is a bit
thin around the poles and the particles often produce a
spectacular firework display, called the
aurora borealis.
(northern lights), so there is a plus side!
Below is a picture of the aurora borealis taken by Dr. Sally
Ride from the Space Shuttle (credit: San Diego Space Physics Center).
