Massive amount of solar plasma erupted from the Sun in a ‘canyon of fire’
The Sun released a massive amount of solar plasma from its northeastern limb, which dramatically reshaped part of its surface, although temporarily. This explosion led to a coronal mass ejection (CME) into space. The explosion was so powerful it created a glowing trench of hot plasma more than 250,000 miles long (Picture: Getty)
How big was the plasma explosion?
Nasa’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) captured the event in stunning detail. It stretched large enough to cross 30 Earths, and reached more than 12,000 miles high. It was caused by a solar filament – like a thick ribbon of solar material – which snapped off and collapsed, leaving behind what some call a ‘canyon of fire’. But there is no worry, since this CME is not expected to hit Earth (Picture: Getty)
The rifts form when the sun’s magnetic field lines snap and realign after an eruption, leaving behind a trench of plasma that traces the reshaped magnetic field. However, these filaments are cooler and therefore can hang just above the sun’s surface. But when they become unstable, they can erupt dramatically, sometimes launching coronal mass ejections (CMEs) into space, and this can lead to geomagnetic storms on Earth (Picture: Getty)
Dr Tony Phillips, an astronomer who manages Spaceweather.com, said: 'Debris from the filament flew through the sun's atmosphere, carving a “canyon of fire” more than 248,548 miles long. The walls of the canyon are at least 32,186 miles high--a grand canyon, indeed’ (Picture: Getty)
What is the difference between solar plasma and solar flares?
Solar plasma is electrically charged gas, and a CME is a cloud of this gas. This gas makes up the Sun’s atmosphere. Meanwhile, solar flares are sudden but intense bursts of electromagnetic radiation and energetic particles. Flares involve the release of plasma particles, but not all plasma activity results in a flare. When there is a solar flare, and it’s directed towards Earth, it can create a major disturbance in Earth’s magnetic field, called a geomagnetic storm, that can produce effects such as radio blackouts, power outages, and beautiful auroras (Picture: Getty)
Why is the Sun flaring up?
The Sun is currently at the peak of its solar cycle, which lasts around 11 years. As it reaches this peak, it is spitting out more solar flares and coronal mass ejections. Solar flares are giant explosions that send energy, light and high-speed particles into space, Nasa explains. They are usually ranked in strength in five classes: A, B, C, M and X. Within each letter class, there is a finer scale from 1 to 9. Each class represents a tenfold increase in energy, with a massive flare noted in May, classified as X2.7 (Picture: Getty)
In May 2024, Nasa recorded a ‘barrage’ of large solar flares and CMEs which created the strongest solar storm that reached Earth in two decades. It was also one of the strongest displays of auroras on record for the past 500 years. The CMEs travelled at speeds up to 3 million mph, and arrived in a bunch of waves that reached Earth, starting May 10, 2024 which created a long-lasting geomagnetic storm (Picture: Getty)
