Thread: solar flares

Is the force of a solar flare enough to actually cause the Sun to move at all(even slightly)? and if it doesn't, where is the necessary 'equal and opposite force' exerted?

Logic suggests it must move it slightly, since to ever action there is an equal but opposite reaction. A brief google should reveal the average mass and velocity of a solar flare, and the mass of the sun. You could them compute the theoretical magnitude of the displacement.

Mass of the sun = 1.9 * 10^30 kgs.
Mass of a CME = 1.0*10^13 kgs. (This figure is for a rather large one).
Ejection speed of CME = 1million MPH (approx)

(I have used CME (Coronal Mass ejection) as opposed to a solar flare, because matter is ejected when a flare collapses).

So the sun will move in the opposite direction at around 5*10^-12 MPH
Thats near enough 8 millionths of a millimetre per hour!
or 1 millimetre every 14 years!

But remember they occur in all directions, with varying intensities and frequency so with the sun orbiting the galaxy, any flares have negligible effect.

thanks for doing the math for me
thanks for the replies