When the Sun Tries to Explode and Fails

When observed in white light coronagraph imagery, CMEs sometimes resemble a light bulb, possessing a bright bulb like outer shell surrounding a dark void and compact inner structure. A new discovery reveals why some solar eruptions fail before reaching CME status (Credit : NASA/SOHO)

Scientists have captured one of the most detailed observations ever of a failed solar eruption, a powerful blast from the Sun that built into what should have been a billion tonne plasma ejection, then stalled and collapsed back to the surface. Using data from five spacecraft simultaneously, the team identified a double magnetic process that strangled the eruption from both above and below.

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