The Sun Puffs
Explanation:
The Earth has once again endured a burst of
particles from the Sun. The
latest
storm,
which began Monday, was one of the best documented solar storms
to date. At 10 am (
EDT)
ground monitors of the
SOHO
spacecraft, which continually monitors the
Sun,
noticed a weak spot in the solar corona was buckling again, this
time
letting loose
a large, explosive
Coronal Mass Ejection
(CME). Almost simultaneously, NASA's
WIND
spacecraft
began detecting bursts of
radio
waves
from
electrons
involved in this magnetic storm.
Supersonic
waves rippled though the
solar
corona
as a puff of high energy gas shot out into the
Solar System.
The
above image
shows two photographs of the
Sun
taken about 15 minutes apart and subtracted, highlighting the
explosion. The
CME
gas will have little lasting effect on the
Earth,
but might make this a good weekend to
see
an aurora.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
