Sun spits out a coronal mass ejection

Oct 05, 2012
The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) captured this image of the sun at 5:06 a.m. EDT on Oct 5, 2012, showing a coronal mass ejection (CME) spreading away from the sun toward Earth. Credit: SOHO (ESA & NASA)

At 11:24 p.m. EDT on Oct. 4, 2012, the sun unleashed a coronal mass ejection (CME).

Not to be confused with a solar flare, which is a burst of light and radiation, CMEs are a phenomenon that can send into space and can reach Earth one to three days later.

Experimental NASA research models show the CME to be traveling at about 400 miles per second.

When Earth-directed, CMEs can affect electronic systems in satellites and on Earth. CMEs of this speed, however, have not generally caused major effects in the past. Further updates will be provided if needed.

Explore further: NASA sees sun unleash a wide, but benign, CME

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User comments : 5

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barakn
not rated yet Oct 05, 2012
Since "solar particles" would be counted as radiation, trying to clarify the difference between a solar flare and a CME by stating one is a burst of radiation and the other solar particles is no clarification at all. Perhaps they could have written "electromagnetic radiation" instead of radiation. Also, there was a long duration solar flare which peaked during the CME. The CME did not appear to be a full halo CME, and I question whether it's newsworthy. CMEs are fairly common.
SteveL
not rated yet Oct 05, 2012
We were noticing the interference on our radios at work.
Cave_Man
not rated yet Oct 06, 2012
i cant wait for the days of a cell phone that measures air pollution, radiation levels, hazardous organisms etc etc. kinda like star trek. another 25 years and we will be living it.
alfie_null
not rated yet Oct 06, 2012
i cant wait for the days of a cell phone that measures air pollution, radiation levels, hazardous organisms etc etc. kinda like star trek. another 25 years and we will be living it.

The way the patent system is (ab)used today, you might well end up with only one brand capable of measuring radiation, another capable of detecting hazardous organisms, etc.
SteveL
not rated yet Oct 06, 2012
i cant wait for the days of a cell phone that measures air pollution, radiation levels, hazardous organisms etc etc. kinda like star trek. another 25 years and we will be living it.

The way the patent system is (ab)used today, you might well end up with only one brand capable of measuring radiation, another capable of detecting hazardous organisms, etc.
Ah, but then there are those who could care less about patent laws and will provide whatever technology is available, and for a discount price. Once the genie is out of the bottle, it has proven exceedingly difficult to put back in.

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