Long-term power cuts, destruction of electronic devices and increased cancer risk for aeroplane passengers are all potential effects of the Earth being hit by a powerful solar eruption. Yet, new research has found space scientists have their work cut out to predict when these coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are on a collision course with Earth. A study of CMEs by scientists at the University of Reading has found they have cloud-like structures. This means they are more influenced by solar wind, through which they pass to reach Earth, making their movements much harder to predict than if they were single bubble-like entities as was previously thought. CMEs are huge blasts of solar plasma and magnetic fields from the sun's atmosphere that can reach Earth in one to three days. A direct hit could have catastrophic consequences, as CMEs are capable of damaging satellites, destroying electronic devices and potentially exposing people at high altitude, such as astronauts and aviation crew and passengers, to cancer-causing radiation. They occur frequently, but predicting which ones will impact Earth and how severely is difficult.
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