| The Sun is the largest and most energetic particle accelerator in our solar system. During solar flares, magnetic explosions commonly accelerate electrons to energies in the deca-keV range and above. In the larger flares it is also possible to observe relativistic electrons. We can detect high energy electrons directly via in-situ observations near the Earth and indirectly via the electromagnetic emission they create in a wide spectrum of wavelengths. After a brief overview I will present some of the recent observational results from solar flare electron acceleration and the new insight they are granting us. I will also mention the energy, space, and time scales that are important for solar flares and how this relates to other electron acceleration processes in the solar system (e.g. in the solar wind and the Earth's magnetosphere). |