Weather in Space

Sunspots and Solar Activity

What is a coronal mass ejection?

A coronal mass ejection is a huge blob of solar material—usually highly energetic plasma—that is thrown outward into space in a huge solar surface explosion. Coronal mass ejections are associated with solar flares, but the two phenomena do not always occur together. When coronal mass ejections reach the space near Earth, artificial satellites can be damaged by the sudden electromagnetic surge caused by the flux of these charged particles.



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