Figure 16-31: R I V U X G
A Sun-Earth Connection (a) SOHO recorded this coronal mass ejection in an X-ray image. (The image of the Sun itself was made at ultraviolet wavelengths.) (b) In this artist’s illustration we see that within two to four days the fastest-moving ejected material reaches a distance of 1 AU from the Sun. Most particles are deflected by Earth’s magnetosphere, but some are able to reach Earth where they can damage satellites and our electrical power grid. (The ejection shown in (a) was not aimed toward Earth and did not affect us.)
A Sun-Earth Connection (a) SOHO recorded this coronal mass ejection in an X-ray image. (The image of the Sun itself was made at ultraviolet wavelengths.) (b) In this artist’s illustration we see that within two to four days the fastest-moving ejected material reaches a distance of 1 AU from the Sun. Most particles are deflected by Earth’s magnetosphere, but some are able to reach Earth where they can damage satellites and our electrical power grid. (The ejection shown in (a) was not aimed toward Earth and did not affect us.)
(SOHO/EIT/LASCO/ESA/NASA)