Sun Unleashes Flare, Blows Magnetic Bubble : Discovery News
Sun:
Mars
Venus:
On April 16, an M-class flare erupted on the limb of the sun, triggering a coronal mass ejection (CME). The CME -- a magnetized bubble of superheated plasma -- wasn't thrown in the direction of Earth, but toward Mars and Venus, both of which may experience a glancing blow according to Spaceweather.com.
Additional analysis by NASA's Space Weather Laboratory at Goddard Space Flight Center has shown that the CME will likely wash over the Mars Science Laboratory (currently en route to the Red Planet), the STEREO-B spacecraft and the Spitzer space telescope. (The Lab produced a nifty animation showing the predicted trajectory of the CME.)
Additional analysis by NASA's Space Weather Laboratory at Goddard Space Flight Center has shown that the CME will likely wash over the Mars Science Laboratory (currently en route to the Red Planet), the STEREO-B spacecraft and the Spitzer space telescope. (The Lab produced a nifty animation showing the predicted trajectory of the CME.)
Sun:
Mars
Venus:
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