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

This hotter layer of the sun's outer atmosphere — typically only observable during totality in a total solar eclipse — is where space weather events come from, including solar flares and coronal mass ejections. —Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 19 June 2025

But because this powerful flare was not accompanied by a coronal mass ejection, don't expect any unusual aurora activity. —Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 19 June 2025

In May 2024, a powerful coronal mass ejection brought the strongest geomagnetic storm in over 20 years to Earth. —Kerry Breen june 18, CBS News, 18 June 2025

The mission should also provide insight into a kind of solar activity called coronal mass ejections (CMEs): explosions of plasma and magnetic fields from the sun’s surface. —Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 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