They may sound menacing, but CMEs pose little danger to people on Earth. Our planet's magnetic field serves as an effective shield against solar wind storms. The same familiar force that causes compass needles on Earth to point north also extends far into space. In extreme cases, such storms can induce electric currents in the Earth that interfere with electric power transmission equipment. Satellite failures are possible, too.
Geomagnetic storms can also trigger beautiful aurorae.
The bright object near the horizon is the Moon. Also visible in the background are the Pleiades, Taurus, and Orion. The exposure time was one minute on Kodak Elite 100 slide film. Solar flares and CMEs occur whenever there's a rapid, large-scale change in the Sun's magnetic field. In fact, the NOAA Space Environment Center predicted a possible major flare from 9026 several days ago.