Summary

Description	For the first time, scientists have a three-dimensional view of one of the most powerful and mysterious events in our solar system. Coronal Mass Ejections, or CMEs, are huge solar eruptions that hurl billions of tons of electrified gas out into space. When Earth happens to be in the path of a CME, our power systems, radio communications and satellites can be affected. NASA-funded scientists found a new way to analyze two-dimensional images from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory spacecraft, also called SOHO. According to scientists, the new 3-D view will help explain how CMEs are born and how they are blasted away from the Sun. With new information gleaned from 3-D imagery, it may be easier to predict when a massive solar explosion will brush our planet -- and how severe the encounter might be.
Date	2004-07-09
Source	images.nasa.gov

Licensing

Public Domain (US Government Work)