600,000-mile-long fiery eruption unleashed on the Sun's surface: How will it impact Earth?
Image credit: X/@JAtanackov
A powerful
solar eruption
lit up the Sun's northern hemisphere late on May 12 (early May 13 IST), sending a massive wave of solar material into space. Due to its sheer scale, the eruption, which stretched nearly 600,000 miles (10 lakh kilometres), caught global attention.
Thankfully, scientists have confirmed that this explosion is moving away from Earth and will not disrupt satellites or communication systems.
Huge plasma filament breaks away from the Sun's surface
This solar activity involved a structure called a filament– a thread-like ribbon of cooler, denser plasma held above the Sun's surface by magnetic fields. When these filaments become unstable, they can erupt with great force. That's exactly what happened here, triggering a dramatic
coronal mass ejection
(CME) that spread out into space.
'WOW! There is an absolutely enormous filament erupting right now! It dwarfs all the filament eruptions we have seen recently,'
Aurora chaser
Jure Atanackov posted on X, highlighting the scale of the event.
CME moves outward, away from Earth
Coronal mass ejections carry large amounts of charged particles and magnetic energy. When they are directed towards Earth, they can cause
geomagnetic storms
that affect satellites, radio communications, and even power grids. However, in this case, data shows that the CME is moving northward and is unlikely to affect our planet, according to a report by Space.
'What a spectacular CME from the huge
filament eruption
earlier today! Unfortunately, it is directed north and will miss us. A direct hit from a CME like this can be high-end G4 storm material, maybe even G5,' Atanackov said in another post.
Even though the CME will miss Earth, the visuals of the eruption have gone viral among space enthusiasts. Many have described the filament's movement as looking like wings spreading across the Sun's surface.
'Look at how large the blast is off the sun's northern hemisphere. I could watch this animation loop for hours!' wrote Aurora chaser Vincent Ledvina, referring to the event as a 'bird-wing' or 'angel-wing' eruption.
Scientists stay alert
As the Sun nears the peak of its 11-year activity cycle, such events are expected to happen more often. While this particular eruption poses no threat, scientists are closely monitoring solar activity to stay prepared for any future blasts that could head towards Earth.
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