Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

- What are the positive factors of Coronal Mass Ejections that affect our planet?
- What negative factors of Coronal Mass Ejections, Other than disrupting Earth’s magnetic field, that affect our planet?
does the velocity impact any of these factors?
- What are the factor that make the sun to eject parts of its Coronal Mass?

Hello gabysalomevelez,

I've done some research on the topic and this is what I found:

https://www.windows2universe.org/sun/cmes.html
This link has some information on the negative effects of Coronal Mass Ejections.

• Radiation from this event can cause disruptions in radio waves that travel long distances
  Can fry satellites and their electronics
  Shock waves can put astronauts in dangerous situations
  -There is some more listed on the site

The only positive factor I have found is the creation of aurorae, also known as the Northern/Southern Lights.

It also seems that the velocity has no factor as the energy from the event launches plasma at extremely high speeds no matter what.
https://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/th ... s-and-cmes

CMEs are eruptions of enormous amounts of energy and are created by

the motion of the sun’s interior contorting its own magnetic fields. Like the sudden release of a twisted rubber band, the magnetic fields explosively realign, driving vast amounts of energy into space

(from the nasa website as well)

I hope this helps and good luck!

-Regina