Imagine you are taking a bus home at night. Suddenly your cellphone loses its signal. The television on the bus has no programs. Everything around us black-except for some strange colorful lights dancing in the sky. What is going on?

These are just the kinds of problems a solar storm might cause. Solar storms happen when solar flares (耀斑)break from the sun and travel towards Earth quickly. Actually, since Sept.4, 2017, the sun has burst out two big solar flares, the most powerful ones since at least 2008 according to NASA. They hit Earth on Sept.7.

Normally, Earth is protected by its magnetic field (磁场). But when strong solar storm mix with it, things change. On the one hand, the colourful lights of the aurora (极光)can be seen from the US and Europe, rather than just from polar (极地的)areas. But on the other hand, the storms can stop the satellite systems that control our computers, cell phones and GPS. They can even cause blackouts (断电) for weeks or months.

, but they can put astronauts in danger. Spacewalking astronauts might have only minutes to hide. For this reason, NASA never plans spacewalks during solar storms.

Scientists now have a new tool called EEGGL, which can predict solar storms and hopefully give us warnings when they arrive. As for the recent storm, scientists say it is still too early to know its effect on our technology. They are closely watching for any long-term effects.

We know that the Earth we live on goes around the Sun and that the Sun is a yellow star. We know that stars give light and that they can be blue, white, orange and red. 【小题1】

We know that stars are born, stars get older, and then stars die. As the star gets older, the middle of the star gets very hot and the star gets bigger. This star is now called a red giant. It is one of the biggest stars. 【小题2】 When it explodes the star dies. This big explosion is called a supernova. A supernova makes a very bright light. It is a billion times brighter than the Sun!

When a giant star has blown up, sometimes the core can be crushed. 【小题3】 Around the black hole, stars and dust (尘土) can spin, like water down a plug hole. Then the black hole will suck them in. What goes into the black hole cannot come out again.

We know that out there in space, there are small stars that spin very, very fast. 【小题4】 Some people said these flashing lights were aliens, but we know they are not.

【小题5】 There are millions and millions of stars, but how many, no one knows. No one has been in a black hole, so no one can tell what it is like inside.

Many people want to find out new things about the stars above. There will always be some things we know and some things we don’t. Little kids everywhere sing...

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

how I wonder what you are.