coronal mass ejection

noun

: a tremendous outburst of energy from the corona of the sun that can cause disruptions in the earth's geomagnetic field
As they had for the January eruption, the researchers relied on an armada of spacecraft to track the disturbance, known as a coronal mass ejection because it originates in the sun's outer atmosphere, or corona.R. Cowen
abbreviation CME
compare solar flare

Examples of coronal mass ejection in a Sentence

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Over the past 24 hours, our planet has been reverberating from the impact of a powerful coronal mass ejection (CME) that struck Earth's magnetic field on April 15 — and the resulting auroras were absolutely breathtaking. Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 17 Apr. 2025 These events are called coronal mass ejections, or CMEs. Shirsh Lata Soni, JSTOR Daily, 13 Mar. 2025 Northern lights, also known as Aurora Borealis, are caused by magnetic storms triggered by solar activity, like solar flares (explosions on the sun) or coronal mass ejections (ejected gas bubbles). Skyler Caruso, People.com, 31 Jan. 2025 The northern lights have been more active than usual over the past week after a coronal mass ejection, a form of solar eruption, caused a severe G4 geomagnetic storm. Conor Murray, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for coronal mass ejection

Word History

First Known Use

1974, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of coronal mass ejection was in 1974

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Cite this Entry

“Coronal mass ejection.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coronal%20mass%20ejection. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.

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