Scientists unlock the secrets of exploding plasma clouds on the Sun
Monday, November 8, 2010 - 08:30
in Astronomy & Space
The Sun sporadically expels trillions of tons of million-degree hydrogen gas in explosions called coronal mass ejections (CMEs). Such clouds are enormous in size (spanning millions of miles) and are made up of magnetized plasma gases, so hot that hydrogen atoms are ionized. Now, using data from the twin-satellite STEREO mission, scientists have demonstrated for the first time that the observed motion of erupting plasma clouds driven by magnetic forces can be correctly explained by a theoretical model.