Double Trouble Solar Bubbles
Explanation:
During April and May, attention has been focused on the
western evening sky,
presenting its spectacle of bright planets and crescent
moons shortly after sunset.
Meanwhile,
the
Sun itself has
not been just sinking quietly below the horizon.
For example
on May 2nd,
two enormous clouds of energetic particles blasted
away from the solar surface in nearly simultaneous eruptions.
Known as
coronal mass ejections
(CMEs), they appear as large "bubbles"
oriented at about 2 o'clock and 8 o'clock
in this composite image from cameras onboard
the sun-staring SOHO
spacecraft.
At picture center, an extreme ultraviolet image of the Sun recorded near
the time of these eruptions has been superimposed for scale.
The blank region surrounding it corresponds to an occulting disk
in one of SOHO's
coronagraphic cameras.
Speeding
outward
at millions of kilometers per hour,
these two
CMEs missed our
fair planet.
But those that do
impact Earth's
magnetosphere often trigger
auroral displays and disruptions.
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.
