A solar prominence is anchored to the sun; the arch does not separate and go into space. A solar flare, though, will travel through space, since it is a release of energy.
Large, loop-like structures on the edge of the solar disk sometimes stand out brightly against the dark background of space. These enormous structures are called solar prominences.
Solar Prominences Come From Cooler Areas of the Sun Although prominences appear to be very bright and hot, they are actually much cooler and denser than the surrounding plasma in the Sun's corona. Prominences are shaped by the Sun's complex magnetic field, often forming loops with each end anchored to the Sun's surface. Prominences are enormous, extending out for many thousands of kilometers.
Prominences can last for several days or up to several months. Some prominences erupt and break apart, giving rise to coronal mass ejections (CMEs).
Solar flares are huge explosions of electromagnetic radiation from the Sun. A flare appears as a sudden, intense brightening of a region on the Sun, lasting several minutes to hours.
Flares occur when intense magnetic fields on the Sun become too tangled. Like a rubber band that snaps when it is twisted too far, the tangled magnetic fields release energy when they snap. The energy emitted by a solar flare is more than a million times greater than the energy from a volcanic eruption on Earth!
Observing Solar Flares Although solar flares can be visible in white light, they are often more readily noticed via their bright X-ray and ultraviolet emissions. Ultraviolet light is invisible to the human eye.
Solar flares burst forth from intense magnetic fields in the vicinity of active regions on the Sun and are most common during times of peak solar activity. Coronal mass ejections often accompany solar flares, though scientists are still trying to determine exactly how the two phenomena are related.
Solar Flares Can Cause Radio Blackouts on Earth When a strong enough flare occurs, charged electrons in the upper atmosphere can temporarily disrupt radio waves on the side of Earth that is facing the Sun, either degrading or completely absorbing them. This results in a radio blackout where certain frequencies of radio waves are completely absent for a short period of time.
