NASA Announces Coronal Mass Ejection Hurtling Toward Earth from Sun

Coronal mass ejections aren't necessarily rare. However, the ones that hurtle toward Earth can cause some issues for our planet. Early on August 20, our Sun slung one of these CMEs in our direction, sending billions of tons of particles into space.

While the eruption occurred yesterday, though, it will be a few more days before we might feel the effects of these solar particles. It takes between one to three days before a CME reaches our planet from the sun. While the particles can't travel through the atmosphere to harm humans, though, they can disrupt electronic systems in satellite and on the ground.

That's not the only effect that CMEs can have, though. These particles can also "supercharge" the Northern Lights. In fact, a CME in April led to the chance for a geomagnetic storm. These storms funnel energy into Earth's magnetic envelope, the magnetosphere, for an extended period of time. The CME's magnetic fields peel back the outermost layers of Earth's fields, changing their very shape. These storms can interact with the Earth's atmosphere and enhance the aurora, leading to displays that can be visible as far south as New Jersey and Oregon.

Yet a geomagnetic storm doesn't only show off some spectacular light displays. Magnetic storms can degrade communication signals and caused unexpected electrical surges in power grids.

In this case, the CME left the sun at speeds of about 570 miles per second, according to NASA. While this may seem fast, it's a fairly typical speed for CMEs. This strength of CME has normally caused geomagnetic storms that have been very mild in the past; it's unlikely that we should worry too much about the solar particles currently hurtling toward Earth.

Want to get updates on this particular CME? Visit NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center here.