Coronal Mass Ejections

By Ryan, James, Sara, and Emily

What are they?

Balloon shaped bursts of solar wind They rise above solar corona Solar plasma is heated to tens of millions

of degree electrons, protons, and heavy nuclei

accelerated to almost the speed of light

Cont.

Biggest “explosions” in Solar System

- around the power in 1,000,000 hydrogen bombs

Can trigger major disturbances in Earth’s Magnetosphere, (space weather)

Heated CME electrons can move on magnetic field lines faster than solar wind

Pictures

Video’s of CME’s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NT-yfWO6jXk&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YDKJtZci4M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZZr9TF1qI0&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ys9xL3mw8tI&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6f4VBXUs_o&feature=related

Effects of Coronal Mass Ejections on Earth

The radiation can alter Earth’s outer atmosphere It disrupts long distance radio The energetic particles pushed by the shock wave

can endanger astronauts and fry satellites When the particles arrive at earth strong

geomagnetic storms, aurora, and electrical power blackouts

Another random video

http://www.windows2universe.org/sun/movies/cme_4jan2002_big_gif_image.html

What causes them

The exact processes are not known One theory for why they occur is that it

happens when conflicting magnetic fields react in the corona and cause a reaction that makes an explosion happen

Solar material churns and throws up huge amounts of charged particles or solar wind

What Causes Them (cont.)

Coronal mass ejections are sometimes in conjunction with a solar flare, but they are not the same thing

The number of coronal mass ejections increases with the numbers of sunspots, so they are probably related

Like earthquakes, they are nearly impossible to predict

How They Happen

Solar plasma is heated to tens of millions of degrees

Charged particles explode out of the corona of the sun in huge bursts, interfering with the solar wind and other effects

It expands as it goes

Bibliography

Reyes, Ralph. "Coronal Mass Ejections." Southwest Resource Institute. 01 Dec 1999. Web. 17 May 2010. http://pluto.space.swri.edu/image/glossary/cme.html

Ewert, Michael. "Solar Flares." Astronomy 162. Astrowiki, n.d. Web. 18 May 2010. http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr162/lect/sun/flares.html