Holly: We are protected here on the surface of the Earth from solar flares and coronal mass ejections when they impact the Earth due to the magnetic field of the Earth, called the magnetosphere which deflects the magnetic field and the energetic particles as well as the atmosphere which absorbs the higher levels of radiation. Phil: Fortunately we're protected here at Earth from flares and coronal mass ejections by the Earth's outer atmosphere. It absorbs a lot of the energy from the increase light from solar flares, but we're also protected by the magnetic field. You know the Earth has a north pole and a south pole, any one that has a compass knows that, but this magnetic field of the Earth also protects us from these charged particles of plasma coming from coronal mass ejections that largely deflects a lot of this direct energy.