For decades, scientists have been trying to solve a vexing problem about the weather in outer space. At unpredictable times, high-energy solar particles bombard Earth and objects outside Earth's atmosphere with radiation that can endanger the lives of astronauts and destroy satellites' electronic equipment.
These flare-ups can trigger showers of radiation strong enough to reach passengers in airplanes flying over the North Pole. Despite scientists' best efforts, a clear pattern of how and when these flare-ups will occur has remained difficult to identify.