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The Effects of Coronal Mass Ejections (CME) on Planet Earth. By Alvin Sanchez and Andrew Walant. What are CMEs?. Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) are gas-formed plasma storms that burst out of the Sun’s corona.
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The Effects of Coronal Mass Ejections (CME) on Planet Earth By Alvin Sanchez and Andrew Walant
What are CMEs? • Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) are gas-formed plasma storms that burst out of the Sun’s corona. • They occur from the sun’s corona at an explosive rate of 1 million mph. The fastest recorded was set at 4.5 million mph. • CME’s occur about once a week, but solar maximum rates of about two per day are not out of the ordinary. • The area called dark matter, also referred to as the interplanetary medium, is where the CMEs travel through this to reach the earth’s magnetosphere. • CMEs were only acknowledged until after the coming of the great space race, which began with the release of the satellite Sputnik into space. • CME’s not only disrupt life on earth they disrupt the flow of solar winds.
Common Misconceptions of Solar Activity Explained… • CME’s and solar winds are not the same thing. A solar wind can be disrupted by a CME and have CME’s accelerated to their speeds, either high of low. More than half the time, CME’s are a result of solar flares. Otherwise there is not much difference between CMEs and Solar winds. • The CME’s are not the same throughout. The comet like structure is similar to what a CME looks like. Although, its movements are unknown. • CME’s can be visible during an eclipse. During this event, when the sun is blocked by our moon, you would look like at the Corona using a coronagraph. You would indicate it as the outlines around the moon. • The Corona, where the solar winds extend and CMEs form, can be also observed using x-ray spectroscopy.
Corona • The Corona is a type of atmosphere that surrounds the Sun at over a million degrees. • Its physical features include those of coronal loops and releasing plasma out into space. • Those phenomena are called solar flares and CMEs. They are created around the sun’s atmosphere.
Solar Flares • Solar flares, are usually created from explosive spots near cooler regions known as Sunspots. • They produce electromagnetic radiation that emerge into the Suns corona emitting stored energy into the surface. • They can be observed at wavelengths from radio to gamma rays. • Solar flares can actually cause a CME by its Kinetic energy passing through the Corona.
Physical properties of CMEs • CMEs are simply particles consisting of protons and electrons that eject from the Suns corona. • CMEs are formed as bubble like plasma being pulled into space. • They are often associated with solar flares or solar wind. CMEs originate from active regions and are usually from stored energy formed in the coronal belt. • They travel at an average speed of 1 million miles per hour and are much cooler than solar flares.
CMEs affecting Earth • When CMEs eject out of the Suns atmosphere, and travel towards our earth. About most of the energy being impacted into our planet gets repelled due to our magnetosphere. • After impact, the ejection extends and reaches the night side of the magnetosphere. This creates a strong electrical force.
Disruption on Earth • When CMEs impact our earth and we get affected by its enormous energy, about 1% of those particles penetrate pass our magnetosphere. (interplanetary CMEs) • Thus creating disruptions and corrosions into our planet, such as power surges through every house, interferences with radio transmissions, damages to satellites and spacecraft, and any mechanism using electrical currents. • LASCO, a telescope that was sent to observe and collect data from the sun, can tell us when we are about to have a solar disturbance from any solar storm.
On October 1st, 2007 • On April 20, 2007 Encke, a comet, was travelling a little to close to the sun. • This caused a “magnetic connection” between a CME and the tail, ripping it off. • The mass of a CME is spread out over a large area of space which makes it is surprising that it could rip the tail of the comet off. • It is also surprising because a Gossamer CME releases a few nanopascals of pressure softer than a baby’s breath. • This shows the destructive power a CME has in short range and without the protection of a magnetosphere.
On May 27, 2008 • The “cartwheel” to the left occurred on April 9, 2008. • It happened because the magnetic flux tube broke under a lot of stress and caused an explosion greater than 100 million hydrogen bombs. In other words, the effect was a CME. • As can be seen in the second picture the magnetic flux tube healed itself rather quickly. • This was extremely exciting for scientists because it is extremely rare • This entire event will lead to more discoveries about the “magnetic reconnection” of Solar flares and CMEs.
The 1859 Super storm • The solar storm in 1859 was the strongest and most greatest ever recorded. • The auroras on this day were as far south as the Caribbean • Scientists believe the storms happen once every 500 years. • Even if it happens every 50 years it would still have drastic effects on humans Ex. Some of our satellites would be fried • The large CME could also cause coast to coast blackouts and jam radios.
Bibliography • http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/mysteries_l1/corona.html • http://pwg.gsfc.nasa.gov/istp/nicky/cme-chase.html • http://www-spof.gsfc.nasa.gov/Education/wsolwind.html • http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/stereo/news/stereo_astronauts.html • http://www.suntrek.org/flowing-from-sun/solar-storms-comets/what-causes-cmes.shtml
