John B. Reed, age 11, of Prosperity, West Va., for his question;

What causes magnetic storms?

The sun is a seething furnace of nuclear power and the earth is a giant magnet. The sun pours out its atomic fury in all directions and the earth is surrounded by a vast magnetic field. When sunspots and solar flares erupt on the face of the sun, streams of charged particles are shot out into space. And electrical particles are affected by a magnetic field.

Magnetic storms often occur on earth following a major eruption on the sun. It is thought that they are Caused when charged particles from the sun meet the earth's magnetic field. A magnetic storm may cause blackouts in long distance communications, aurora displays and upsets in the earth's magnetic field.