Jul 2 2004
From The Space Library
Scientists reported that they had produced the first three-dimensional views of the large solar eruptions known as coronal mass ejections, or CMEs. CMEs, the most powerful eruptions in the solar system, can disrupt power systems, radio communications, and satellite links with Earth. Although uncertain of the origin of these eruptions, scientists know that CMEs occur when billions of tons of electrified gas explode from the Sun's atmosphere into space at speeds of millions of miles per hour. The team had used data from ESA and from NASA's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) to construct the images, which they hoped would help scientists learn more about the structure of CMEs and the manner in which they affect Earth. (ESA, “First 3D View of Solar Eruptions,” ESA news release SNR 13-2004, 2 July 2004; Thomas G. Moran and Joseph M. Davila, “Three-Dimensional Polarimetric Imaging of Coronal Mass Ejections,” Science 305, no. 5680 (2 July 2004): 66-70.
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