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

Recent Examples on the Web

The auroras become visible when solar events like solar flares and coronal mass ejections take place, triggering powerful displays of color in the sky. —Skyler Caruso, People.com, 6 June 2025

Thursday’s northern lights forecast follows recent geomagnetic storms, including some minor to moderate conditions earlier Thursday as effects from a recent coronal mass ejection continued to disrupt Earth’s magnetic field, NOAA said. —Ty Roush, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025

By using this method to see our nearest star, researchers could reveal more about solar flares, coronal mass ejections, space weather and the still-mysterious uneven heating of the sun. —Elizabeth Gamillo, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 June 2025

Geomagnetic storms are caused by solar activity like solar flares or coronal mass ejections. —Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 3 June 2025

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