Magnetic Bubbles Explode from the Sun

Coronal Mass Ejections (CME) are huge magnetic clouds which blow off the Sun at over a million miles per hour.

• We currently (June 1999) observe about 3.5 per day. Around solar minimum this was closer to one every other day.

• 5-10% of CMEs are pointed towards or away from Earth. These are called "halo" CMEs. SOHO is the first mission to observe them regularly.

• Their effects can be observed in both the inner and outer corona.

• CMEs do NOT harm life on the Earth's surface.

• They do, however, sometimes cause power outages, harm satellites, and pose a danger to humans in space.

• Using the spacecraft of the International Solar-Terrestrial Physics project, we can trace the progress of these events from the Sun to Earth.