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 expecting a coronal mass ejection that left the Sun between Wednesday and Thursday could arrive at the Earth by Sunday—these typically interact with the Earth’s magnetosphere and cause the aurora to appear visible further south. — Zachary Folk, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026

The sun attained solar maximum in 2024, releasing intense flares and coronal mass ejections that caused Earth’s atmosphere to expand, which only intensified the drag on Swift, according to NASA. — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 3 July 2026

Several of these eruptions were accompanied by coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that appear to be at least partially Earth-directed. — Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 2 July 2026

The potential aurora is a result of a coronal mass ejection (CME) that left the sun late on Friday, June 26. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 29 June 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