A NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory image shows Sunday's coronal mass ejection (CME) erupting
from an active region of the sun seen just right of center, August 14, 2022. CMEs can cause
disruptions on Earth called geomagnetic storms.NASA/SDO/AIA
Acloud of "dark plasma" erupted from the sun on Sunday and is predicted to make contact with Earth on Wednesday, giving rise to the possibility of a minor geomagnetic storm.
The eruption of material is known as a coronal mass ejection (CME)—a cloud of charged solar gas and magnetic fields. It was launched toward Earth on August 14 from a region of the sun known as AR3076.
Observations from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), seen above, show the moment the CME was launched from the sun's surface, appearing as a brief dark cloud towards the end of the clip at around 11:30 UT.
Solar activity news site spaceweather.com stated on Monday morning that the "plume of dark plasma" was traveling at over 1.3 million miles per hour. At that speed, it's expected to take a few days to travel the distance from the sun to the Earth.
CMEs are launched from areas of the sun known as sunspots, which appear to be dark patches on the sun's surface—though certain NASA footage may also make them appear bright. READ MORE...
