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We take this for granted most of the time, but the sun is extremely important for our very existence. Without that, we would not be here at all and scientists have been working tirelessly for centuries to learn as much as possible. But what we know about our own star does not necessarily translate into others, and observing the behavior of stars in other galaxies has proven extremely difficult.
Now, in a first scientific, the NASA Chandra X-ray observatory has detected a specific behavior that scientists who study our own Sun know very well: a coronal mass ejection. The CME, which was produced by a star named HR 9024, arrived about 450 light-years away, but it was bright enough to be spotted by the observatory's sensitive instruments.
In a new message on NASA's website, the agency reveals that, for the first time in history, scientists have observed a CME taking place elsewhere than in our own Sun:
"This is the first time researchers have identified and extensively characterized a CME from a different star than our Sun," NASA says. "This event was marked by an intense X-ray flash followed by the emission of a giant plasma bubble, that is, a hot gas containing charged particles."
During a coronal mass ejection, the plasma is projected into space as a bright ribbon of activated particles. When the Earth is on the path of the energy explosion, it can affect communication systems and even damage satellites. When particles interact with the Earth's magnetic field, auroras are often produced and can be seen by observers near the poles.
The study of CMEs in systems other than ours can provide scientists with important information about the behavior of stars of different sizes. These observations can also tell us more about our own Sun and potentially help scientists better understand how and why our star is doing so.
Source of Image: NNASA / CXC / INAF / Argiroffi, C. et al./S. Wiessinger
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