Late on Oct. 21, 2025, a spectacular coronal mass ejection (CME) erupted from the far side of the sun, an space at present dominated by the highly effective and protracted Active Region 4246. The eruption occurred simply after the energetic area had rotated past the solar’s western limb, out of direct view from Earth and the climate satellites that monitor photo voltaic exercise.
What’s it?
Yet many of these powerful outbursts occur where we can’t see them directly, on the far side of the solar, hidden from Earth’s telescopes. These occasions nonetheless form the photo voltaic wind surroundings that later sweeps previous our planet or impacts different worlds, corresponding to Venus and Mars.
That is the place the Compact Coronagraph (CCOR-1) instrument aboard NOAA’s GOES-19 climate satellite tv for pc is available in. CCOR-1 blocks the solar’s shiny disk to seize faint white-light buildings within the outer corona, monitoring CMEs as they develop into area.
The place is it?
The CCOR-1 on NOAA’s GOES-19 satellite orbits around 22,000 miles (36,000 kilometers) above Earth’s equator.
Why is it amazing?
When aimed toward Earth, these sorts of eruptions can set off brilliant auroras, disrupt satellites and disturb power systems. Although no direct effects were felt on Earth with this particular CME, the event showed how powerful our sun can truly be.
CCOR-1’s imagery offered a glimpse of “the storm we missed,” one that, if rotated just a few days earlier, could have driven a major geomagnetic disturbance.
Want to learn more?
You can learn more about the solar cycle and weather satellites.
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