Friday, October 7, 2011

The comet and the coronal mass ejection

On October 1, 2011, a comet screamed into the Sun and presumably disintegrated. A few minutes later, the Sun erupted in a big blast of magnetic energy called a Coronal Mass Ejection. Are the two related?



Phil Plait show three satellite views of the comet and CME from three different angles, and describe the events. Phil Plait conclusion: it's almost certainly coincidence.

Original satellite footage credits: NASA & SOHO & STEREO

No comments:

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...