NASA instruments recorded an unusual plasma pulse on the Sun: is there a threat to Earth (photo)

Astronomers took images from spacecraft observing the Sun, which showed a striking coronal mass ejection in the form of a “butterfly” spreading its plasma “wings.” Live Science writes that this jet of plasma was not directed toward Earth and flew to Mercury, according to scientists.

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Scientists already know that the Sun’s activity is now increasing and that this process will continue for about a year and a half until it peaks in the summer of 2025. After that, the activity will begin to decrease.

For this reason, nearly every day, the spacecraft records flashes of the Sun, which can be accompanied by plasma ejections known as coronal mass ejections. Another large burst of plasma was recorded on Friday, March 10. NASA spacecraft managed to capture stunning images of this event, which took place on the far side of the Sun.

Coronal mass eruptions emanate from sunspots, which are special regions of the Sun where magnetic field lines converge and refract. The result is a powerful burst of energy or a solar flare, sometimes accompanied by large streams of plasma into space. These streams move at millions of kilometers per hour and can reach Earth, causing geomagnetic storms. This time, however, the plasma stream is headed towards Mercury.

According to scientists, this explosion was unusual, as the plasma took the form of a “butterfly” spreading its “wings”. Most coronal plasma eruptions look more like a ring, but why it was different this time, scientists don’t know.

According to scientists, already on Sunday, March 12, a coronal mass ejection was supposed to reach Mercury, breaking its weak magnetic field. Researchers suggest that for a time, solar particles will spin around the planet, creating a kind of “atmosphere”.

Although Earth’s stronger magnetic field can withstand the pulses of plasma currents from the Sun, it can still cause powerful geomagnetic storms to appear on the planet. Very powerful geomagnetic storms can disrupt our planet’s magnetic field so much that even satellites can fall to Earth. Some even believe that such an event could lead to the disappearance of the internet. But in the last decades there have not been such powerful geomagnetic storms so far, but they may appear in the near future.

Also on Saturday, March 11, another explosion occurred on the Sun, but this time the so-called stream of dark plasma escaped the star. This was recorded by NASA instruments.

Dark plasma is not special solar plasma, it is just colder and not as bright. And this plasma is denser than the gas in the atmosphere surrounding the Sun.

Scientists have also noticed a coronal mass ejection, but I still don’t know if it was aimed at Earth. If this flow did fly towards our planet anyway, it could cause a geomagnetic storm to emerge as early as Monday, March 13 or Tuesday, March 14.

As already written FocusScientists have discovered what really messed up the instruments of the spacecraft studying the Sun. It seems that the Sun and water are not the best friends for this type of spacecraft.

We remind you that in early March, as I wrote earlier, one of the most powerful explosions on the Sun occurred, as a result of which radio communications on Earth were lost for a while. Focus.