Quote:
Originally Posted by VEGANGELICA
Okay, I'll zoom out a little.
Solar flares. I like those. I remember when I first realized that our sun is a star similar to all the other stars we see in the universe, and the sun isn't particularly "friendly" or "happy."
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That's an enormous loop of plasma in that first image -- made me think of coronal mass ejections (CMEs), where huge quantities of matter and electromagnetic radiation are released into space. A typical CME could be a billion tons of plasma traveling at 1.8 million kph, consisting primarily of electrons and protons with small quantities of heavier elements such as helium, oxygen, and even iron. The frequency of ejections depends on the phase of the solar cycle: from about one every other day near the solar minimum to 5–6 per day near the solar maximum.
When the ejection is directed towards the Earth, the shock wave of the traveling mass causes a geomagnetic storm that directs trillion-watt power discharges into the Earth's upper atmosphere. It can damage satellites and pose a radiation hazard to astronauts and jet passengers.
Coronal mass ejection - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
