Eyes on the Skies: Scientists Crack Code on Earth-Threatening Solar Storms
Researchers have developed a method to predict the speed and arrival time of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) before they fully erupt from the Sun. This…
Coronal Mass Ejections News
Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) are large expulsions of plasma and magnetic field from the Sun’s corona, the outermost part of the solar atmosphere. These solar phenomena can eject billions of tons of coronal material and carry an embedded magnetic field stronger than the background solar wind interplanetary magnetic field. CMEs are often associated with solar flares and sunspot activity, but they can also occur independently. When directed towards Earth, CMEs can interact with the Earth’s magnetic field, potentially leading to geomagnetic storms. Such storms can disrupt satellite operations, telecommunications, and power grids on Earth, as well as produce spectacular auroras. Monitoring and understanding CMEs are critical for predicting solar-terrestrial interactions and protecting technology and infrastructure in space and on Earth.
NOAA Issues First Severe (G4) Geomagnetic Storm Watch Since 2005 – Giant Sunspot Cluster 16x Earth’s Diameter
On Thursday, May 9, 2024, the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center issued a Severe (G4) Geomagnetic Storm Watch. At least five earth-directed coronal mass ejections…
A Solar Superstorm Struck Earth 150 Years Ago – Now, New Research Reveals That They Are Much More Common Than We Thought
In November this year, the northern lights were seen unusually far south, in locations like Italy and Texas. This was due to the effects of…
First-Ever Solar Energetic Particle Event Detected on the Surfaces of Earth, Moon, and Mars
Space radiation poses a significant challenge to humanity’s ambitions in space exploration, particularly in missions to the Moon and Mars. This radiation, primarily from solar…
Triple Impact: Massive Solar Eruption Felt on Earth, Moon, and Mars
A solar eruption detected simultaneously at Earth, the Moon, and Mars emphasizes the need to prepare human exploration missions for the dangers of space radiation….
Massive Solar Eruption Blasts NASA Probe Head-On Before Impacting Earth
A massive eruption of solar material, known as a coronal mass ejection or CME, was detected escaping from the Sun at 11:36 p.m. EDT on…
Coronal Mass Ejection Hits Solar Orbiter Spacecraft Before Venus Gravity-Assist Flyby
In the early hours of Sunday, September 4, Solar Orbiter flew by Venus for a gravity-assist maneuver that alters the spacecraft’s orbit, which will get…
A Sun-Like Star Blasted Out a Massive Flare That Would Be Devastating for Life on Earth
In the search for “potentially habitable” extrasolar planets, one of the main things scientists look at is stellar activity. Whereas stars like our own, a…
Massive Scorching-Hot Plasma Blast: A Sun-Like Star May Hold Dire Warnings for Life on Earth
Astronomers spying on a stellar system located dozens of lightyears from Earth have, for the first time, observed a troubling fireworks show: A star, named…
Violent Coronal Mass Ejection Crashes Into Earth’s Magnetosphere, Lighting Up the Sky
Credit: All-sky camera, Kiruna Atmospheric and Geophysical Observatory (KAGO) within the Swedish Institute of Space Physics (IRF). Data provided as part of ESA’s Space Weather…
Geomagnetic Storm: Solar Eruption Arrives at Earth
A mass of solar material that erupted from the Sun on October 9, 2021, reached Earth on October 12. The Earth-directed coronal mass ejection, or…
Solar Orbiter Images First Coronal Mass Ejections – See the Stunning Videos From Multiple Instruments
Combining imagery from three of Solar Orbiter’s remote sensing instruments – the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI), the Metis coronagraph, and Solar Orbiter’s Heliospheric Imager (SoloHI)…
Chandra Detects Coronal Mass Ejection From Distant Star
This artist’s illustration depicts a coronal mass ejection, or CME, which involves a large-scale expulsion of material, and have frequently been observed on our Sun….
NASA Satellites Recreate Solar CME Eruption in 3D
The more solar observatories, the merrier: Scientists have developed new models to see how shocks associated with coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, propagate from the…
Space Weather Satellite Set to Go Where No Mission Has Gone Before
Living near a star is risky business, and positioning a spacecraft near the Sun is a very good way to observe rapidly changing solar activity…
Astronomers Reveal How a Magnetic Cage Stopped a Solar Eruption
A dramatic magnetic power struggle at the Sun’s surface lies at the heart of solar eruptions, new research using NASA data shows. The work highlights…
Astronomers Create a Model for Stealth Coronal Mass Ejections
A newly published study details how astronomers developed a model that simulates the evolution of coronal mass ejections. Our ever-changing sun continuously shoots solar material…
K-Cor Gives Scientists an Early Warning of Incoming Space Weather
Scientists from NASA and the National Center for Atmospheric Research have shown that data from a ground-based instrument called K-Cor can give scientists early warning…