You got it...
C... C... C... Cor... Coro ... Corona...
Yes, Coronal Mass Ejections.
"...The Sun has entered the most active period of its solar cycle, with NASA explaining in a post on X: ‘The Sun’s activity waxes and wanes over a 11-year period known as the solar cycle. Solar cycle 25 began in December 2019 and is now approaching solar maximum – a period when eruptions like this one become more common.’
Scientists expect this cycle to reach its peak between late 2024 and early 2025...."
What is a solar flare?
Solar flares are powerful bursts of electromagnetic radiation from the Sun. These flares are often associated with solar magnetic storms known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs).
Affelia Wibisono, an astronomer at Royal Observatory Greenwich, told Metro: ‘Solar flares appear as localised bright flashes of light that can last for minutes and even hours. But solar flares don’t just emit visible light – they also release radiation from the rest of the electromagnetic spectrum, such as ultraviolet light and X-rays.
‘These emissions of electromagnetic radiation travel at the speed of light and so reach the Earth about eight minutes after they have left the Sun.’
Meanwhile, CMEs can take anywhere between 15 hours and several days to reach Earth.
When intense enough, solar flares can disrupt radio communications, electric power grids and navigation signals, and can pose risks to spacecraft and astronauts.
X-class denotes the most intense flares, while the number refers to its strength.
Last week’s solar flares wreaked havoc on farmers in the US by interfering with GPS systems.
Nebraska-based farmer Kevin Kenney told 404 Media: ‘All the tractors are sitting at the ends of the field right now shut down because of the solar storm.’
‘No GPS,’ he added. ‘We’re right in the middle of corn planting.’
