Stunning visuals of the sun's surface belching a coronal mass ejection or CME held internet users spellbound after NASA shared a video on Instagram. Since being shared about 14 hours ago, the post has already clocked more than three million views, which are sure to increase as the stunning visuals mesmerize space enthusiasts.
In the video, the boiling surface of the sun, the "awesome star" as NASA called it in the caption of the post, can be seen erupting waves of solar plasma which results in the sun shooting billions of particles into space at the speed of about 1 million miles per hour. The video shows a CME seen in extreme ultraviolet light by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) in 2013.
But, can this eruption harm human life if it heads towards the Earth?
Not really, explains NASA in the caption: "Unlike solar flares, which are powerful bursts of radiation that can temporarily cause communications and navigation blackouts, CMEs like this one can temporarily overload electrical systems if power companies are not prepared."
"Thankfully, our fleet of solar observatories helps us track these fascinating components of space weather, so disruptions on Earth are minimal," the space agency added.
The powerful visuals made a curious Instagram user ask, "Is this a true footage?"
"Yes! Our Solar Dynamics Observatory captured it with a light filter. The spacecraft orbits the Sun and monitors its activity so we can better understand it," NASA replied.
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