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ESA's fleet rides the storm

30 October 2003

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On 28 October 2003, the Sun released a coronal mass ejection of immense proportions which travelled in the direction of Earth. Bigger than the Sun itself, it hurtled towards Earth at a speed of over 2000 kilometres per second - five times the normal speed.

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This illustration shows a CME blasting off the Sun's surface in the direction of Earth. This left portion is composed of an EIT 304 image superimposed on a LASCO C2 coronagraph. Two to four days later, the CME cloud is shown striking and beginning to be mostly deflected around the Earth's magnetosphere. The blue paths emanating from the Earth's poles represent some of its magnetic field lines. The magnetic cloud of plasma can extend to 48 million kilometres wide by the time it reaches Earth. These storms, which occur frequently, can disrupt communications and navigational equipment, damage satellites and even cause blackouts.

(Objects in the illustration are not drawn to scale.)

Credits: SOHO/LASCO/EIT (ESA & NASA)

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SOHO is a project of international cooperation between ESA and NASA. SOHO's science ranges from the Sun's hot interior, through its visible surface and stormy atmosphere, and out to distant regions where the wind from the Sun battles with a breeze of atoms coming from among the stars.

Credits: ESA

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