Speedy solar storms carrying a billion tons of charged gas through space let out a thunderous scream before they unleash satellite-stopping radiation storms that slam into Earth's magnetic field.A team of astronomers presented this finding here Tuesday at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society, one that could give astronauts and engineers forewarning of a type of coronal mass ejection capable of showering Earth, spacecraft and space travelers with damaging radiation.
Coronal mass ejections are violent solar eruptions that carry massive amounts of electrically charged gas called plasma from the sun's atmosphere. Once unleashed, these plasma clouds race away from the sun at up to a million miles per hour.
Depending on the orientation of the associated magnetic fields, eruptions directed toward Earth can generate magnetic storms that can flick a giant circuit breaker of sorts, causing widespread power outages.
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