Facula

Solar flares, also known as faculae (Latin facula = small torch) or referred Plages ( französ. bright beaches ) are structures with increased brightness and temperature on the sun. They are typically located in the vicinity of sunspots and spread out flat and light in long lines in the chromosphere. By nature, they can be particularly well observed on the fringes of the solar disk, where the brightness of the underlying photosphere is already subdued. The average life is about 15 days; it is thus usually longer than that of the corresponding spots whose emergence they often show a few days earlier.

Best solar flares are shown in red light, the hydrogen - spectral as well as in the calcium wavelengths K2 and K3. The photographic observation by means of spectroheliograms.

The detailed investigation of these about 7000 ° C hot clouds began in the 1950s by Ten Bruggencate and Otto Kiepenheuer. The latter took the first time in different height levels and already suspected that they are excited by strongly varying magnetic fields to shine.