Expert: Steve Nelson - 7/19/2009

Question
Hello Steve

I have seen images of solar flares sending ripples across the surface of the sun (sunquakes). Is there anything to suggest why flares should not also take place deep inside the sun too?  
By the way, you kindly answered a question for me: http://en.allexperts.com/q/Physics-1358/2009/3/ufo.htm
Sadly they didn't reply.

Many Thanks

David

Answer
Well, there are certainly waves inside the Sun, but you don't get ejection in there because there's no place to eject the material to.  I suppose that magnetic reconnection and flare-like events could happen in the Sun, though this is a bit out of my field.  The Sun has what here on Earth we might consider seismic events.  For more on those, perhaps you could start with NASA's website about helioseismology...this is the flare page. http://solarscience.msfc.nasa.gov/flares.shtml