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

The United States on June 25 launched a new satellite expected to significantly improve forecasts of solar flares and coronal mass ejections — huge plasma bubbles that can crash into Earth, disrupting power grids and communications. —Sasirekha Subramanian, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026

Some solar flares can result in coronal mass ejections (CMEs) – huge plumes of plasma blown off the sun's corona and into deep space. —Keith Cooper, Space.com, 26 Jan. 2026

These can create intense, localized explosions called solar flares, or much more powerful and dangerous coronal mass ejections, which spread out over a far larger volume. —Phil Plait, Scientific American, 22 Jan. 2026

The aurora was spawned from a coronal mass ejection, known as a CME, which created a strong geomagnetic storm in Earth’s magnetic fields. —Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 20 Jan. 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