Sun's Latest Burp Sent Billions of Tons of Particles Hurtling Toward Earth

A massive solar eruption consisting of billions of tons of particles is currently hurtling through space toward Earth, NASA reports.

Known as a coronal mass ejection (CME), these events do not pose a direct threat to humans, but can affect electronic systems in satellites and electronic systems on the ground, interfering with communication signals and causing electrical surges in power grids.

According to NASA's Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory, the CME left the Sun traveling at 570 miles per second, which is a fairly average speed for such events.

CMEs directed at Earth can cause what's called a geomagnetic storm, in which a CME funnels energy into Earth's magnetosphere for an extended period time, peeling back the outermost layers of Earth's fields and changing their shape.

However, in the past, geomagnetic storms caused by CMEs of similar strength as the current one have usually been mild, the space agency reports.

Another common side effect of CMEs are auroral lights as the charged particles interact with the Earth's magnetic field.

In March, a CME traveling at a speed of 900 miles per second resulted in a geomagnetic storm, though no damage to spacecraft or Earth-dwelling electrical systems were reported.

As EarthSky reports, while the underlying cause of CMEs is not entirely clear, astronomers agree that the Sun's magnetic field is a key player.

"Because the [Sun] is a fluid, turbulence tends to twist the magnetic field into complex contortions," the site's Christopher Crockett explains. "Twist the field too much, and it kinks -- much like a phone cord or toy Slinky. These kings snap the magnetic field and can potentially drive vast amounts of plasma into space."

This plasma includes protons and electrons that are then carried by solar wind at speeds so intense that if a jet were to match them, it could travel between Los Angeles and New York in under 20 seconds.