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.

—Ron Cowen

—abbreviation CME compare solar flare

Examples of coronal mass ejection in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Forecasters are also warning of minor geomagnetic storms on Tuesday and early Wednesday morning, according to NOAA’s three-day forecast, likely caused by a coronal mass ejection or solar winds. — Zachary Folk, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026

Scientists are curious about the sun’s inner workings to better track massive bursts of energy called coronal mass ejections that can hurl toward Earth. — Adithi Ramakrishnan, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026

These storms occur when eruptions from the sun, such as coronal mass ejections (CMEs), slam into Earth's magnetic field. — Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 10 Aug. 2026

Scientists are curious about the sun's inner workings to better track massive bursts of energy called coronal mass ejections that can hurl toward Earth. — CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1974, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for coronal mass ejection

• abjection
• advection
• affection
• bijection
• bisection
• collection
• complexion
• confection
• connection
• connexion
• convection
• correction