coronal mass ejection

American  

noun

Astronomy.

1. a large-scale solar event involving an ejection of hot plasma that may accelerate charged particles and travel as far as the earth's orbit, preceded by a shock front that may create a magnetic storm on earth. CME

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coronal mass ejection British  

noun

1. a cloud of particles ejected from the sun's surface during a solar flare

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coronal mass ejection Scientific  

/ kôr′ə-nəl,kŏr′-,kə-rō′nəl /

1. A massive, bubble-shaped burst of plasma expanding outward from the Sun's corona, in which large amounts of superheated particles are emitted at nearly the speed of light. The emissions can cause disturbances in the solar wind that disrupt satellites and create powerful magnetic storms on Earth. They were first observed in the early 1970s, when photographs taken from satellites revealed coronal activity that could not be seen in images taken from Earth.

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Example Sentences

A real-world example occurred on November 11, when the Sun produced a coronal mass ejection following an intense flare.

From Science Daily • Dec. 9, 2025

A violent solar storm can generate an eruption of particles and magnetic fields, known as a coronal mass ejection, that if aimed directly at Earth could damage satellites and the power grid on the surface.

From Slate • Dec. 9, 2025

Image:This artist’s impression shows a coronal mass ejection, or CME, around a nearby star.

From Space Scoop • Nov. 28, 2025

“But with Velc, we can precisely estimate the time a coronal mass ejection begins and in which direction it’s headed.”

From BBC • Nov. 26, 2024

The coronal mass ejection is predicted to reach the satellites Thursday morning, Eastern time.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 9, 2024