Coronal Mass Ejections
Large flares are often associated with huge ejections of mass from the Sun, although the association is not clear. These coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are balloon-shaped bursts of solar wind rising above the solar corona, expanding as they climb. Solar plasma is heated to tens of millions of degrees, and electrons, protons, and heavy nuclei are accelerated to near the speed of light. The super-heated electrons from CMEs move along the magnetic field lines faster than the solar wind can flow. Rearrangement of the magnetic field, and solar flares may result in the formation of a shock that accelerates particles ahead of the CME loop. Each CME releases up to 100 billion kg (220 billion lb) of this material, and the speed of the ejection can reach 1000 km/second (2 million mph) in some flares. Solar flares and CMEs are currently the biggest "explosions" in our solar system, roughly approaching the power in ONE BILLION hydrogen bombs!
Fast CMEs occur more often near the peak of the 11-year solar cycle, and can trigger major disturbances in Earth's magnetosphere, known as space weather. Click on the image to see a movie of a CME from SOHO/LASCO of an April 7, 1997 halo CME event. A "halo" event is one where the CME is headed in the direction of Earth. The dark disk in the center is not the Sun, but the occulting, or Sun-blocking, disk of the LASCO coronagraph. CMEs in the News:
May 19, 2009: Stealth
storm erupts from the Sun -- New Scientist May 15, 2009: STEREO spies first major activity of Solar Cycle 24 -- NASA April 14, 2009: NASA's STEREO spacecraft reveals the anatomy of solar storms -- NASA April 14, 2009: The surprising shape of solar storms -- Science@NASA April 14, 2009: Capturing a solar storm in 3-D -- JHU APL April 14, 2009: The surprising shape of solar storms -- Science@NASA April 14, 2009: Photos: Solar explosions revealed by twin spacecraft -- National Geographic January 26, 2009: Acceleration of multiple seed populations at CME-driven interplanetary shocks near 1 AU -- ACE News July 29, 2008: Timeline: The 1859 solar superstorm -- Scientific American May 27, 2008: Cartwheel coronal mass ejection -- Science@NASA January 21, 2008: Ring around the Sun -- NASA HEAPOW November 26, 2007: Outburst pulls magnetic slingshot -- Astronomy.com October 3, 2007: Comet Encke's tail ripped off -- APOD October 1, 2007: NASA satellite sees solar hurricane tear comet tail off -- NASA GSFC October 1, 2007: The Sun rips off a comet's tail -- Science@NASA September 14, 2007: New film opening in Boston gives first 3D look at the Sun -- NASA GSFC August 31, 2007: Celebrating 10 years of ACE in space -- ACE News May 30, 2007: Radio 'screams' from the Sun warn of radiation storms -- EurekAlert! May 30, 2007: News from your favorite star -- Astronomy.com May 29, 2007: Screaming CMEs warn of radiation storms -- NASA GSFC March 2, 2007: Space weather in STEREO -- Astronomy.com February 6, 2007: Sun storm: A coronal mass ejection -- NASA GSFC APOD CME Activities
Grades 7 - 9: Anatomy of a CME Storm -- NASA IMAGE
Grades 7 - 9: CME Plotting Activity -- NASA IMAGE Grades 7 - 9: Solar Activity and Coronal Mass Ejections -- NASA IMAGE Click on images above to
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