Astronomy Question: Solar Flares and Coronal Mass Ejections
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Susan in Tennessee asks:
I hear there was a ginormous solar flare today and a CME is heading right for us.
What the crap does that mean? They say it’ll be here on August 3rd.
Excellent question Susan!
Coronal Mass Ejections (CME’s for short) are essentially a solar “burp” of charged gas (plasma) and magnetic fields.
The exact process which causes CME’s is still unknown.
CME’s do react with our magnetosphere and can cause Aurora to appear in near Earth’s polar regions.
There is also a solar flare associated with today’s event, however it is a relatively minor solar flare and poses little threat to spaceflight operations.
You can watch a video of the event here:
Ray Sanders is a Sci-Fi geek, astronomer and blogger. Currently researching variable stars at Arizona State University, he writes for Universe Today, The Planetary Society blog, and his own blog, Dear Astronomer
2012-12-04 08:04:54
Source: http://www.dearastronomer.com/2010/08/01/solar-flares-and-coronal-mass-ejections/
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