Number 39 (Story #4), July 1, 1991 by Phillip F. Schewe and Ben Stein HIGH-INTENSITY SOLAR FLARES erupted in record numbers in early June 1991. Magnetic disturbances in a small solar area are believed to be responsible for the flares, which resulted in the ejection of charged particles from the site and the production of massive amounts of electromagnetic radiation. The x rays were so intense that they saturated the detectors on board the GOES-7 satellite. Characteristic gamma rays from oxygen and carbon atoms from the sun were recorded by detectors on the Gamma Ray Observatory; these may provide details of the composition of the sun's lower atmosphere. (Science News, 22 June 1991.)