A Solar Blast
Posted on Jun 13, 2011 09:44:12 AM | John Entwistle | 1 Comments    |
Coronal Mass Ejection on June 7, 2011The sun unleashed an M-2 (medium-sized) solar flare with a spectacular coronal mass ejection, or CME, on June 7, 2011. The large cloud of particles mushroomed up and fell back down looking as if it covered an area of almost half the solar surface.

NASA's Solar Dynamic Observatory observed the flare's peak at 1:41 a.m. EDT. SDO recorded these images in extreme ultraviolet light that show a very large eruption of cool gas. It is somewhat unique because at many places in the eruption there seems to be even cooler material -- at temperatures less than 80,000° K.

When viewed in NASA's Solar and and Heliospheric Observatory's coronagraphs, the event shows bright plasma and high-energy particles roaring from the sun. This Earth-directed CME is moving at 1,400 km/s according to NASA models. Due to its angle, however, effects on Earth should be fairly small. Nevertheless, it may generate space weather effects such as aurora here on Earth in a few days.

To see videos of the CME visit the Solar Dynamic Observatory website.

Link to the NES Virtual Campus home page.



Tags : NASA Mission Update, NASA Science Update  

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1 Comments so far ( Post your own )
1 On Jun 14, 2011 07:43:58 AM  sunny  added a comment on your blog post. 

cool.. its beautiful. cant wait to see its pictures. i wonder how exactly are they formed. maybe the cooler temperature was recorded due to a strange reason. maybe its like when we sprinkle water on a fire ball it gets more vigorous, only in this case formed by a deposition of cooler air (if we observe hot air over there, then there must be presence of some cooler air too. and the cooler air pressures the surface being heavier but hot air blows it away before it comes close.

anyways if this is not the case. then can someone please please write on a blog that how exactly are they created. please please please.
thank you

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