Neither of these eruptions sent material toward our planet, but a more recent CME did. Click here for the full story. Daily updates about solar activity and geomagnetic storms. But space weather can make some interesting noises. Visit this site to learn more.
Sunspots are areas on our star where magnetic energy is concentrated.
When the magnetic field lines above sunspots become twisted and sheared, like a stretched rubber band, the fireworks begin. Tangled magnetic fields that untwist and snap back into a simpler configuration give rise to brilliant solar flares and coronal mass ejections. These events can send billions of tons of hot gas and energetic particles racing toward our planet. Predicting solar explosions and their impact on Earth is difficult. Experts say that the art of forecasting space weather is about as advanced now as terrestrial weather forecasting was 40 years ago.