These widespread light shows have been caused by especially strong blasts of solar wind—electrically charged particles shot out from the sun at incredible speeds. Under this extreme heat, the gases in the outer part of the sun form a plasma in which electrons are ripped away from their atoms, leaving free electrical charges (mostly electrons and protons) zooming around. These moving magnetic field lines can break through the surface, creating sun spots and awesome geysers of plasma known as solar flares.