Scientists have released an image of a powerful coronal mass ejection on the far side of the Sun, taken by the CCOR-1 coronagraph mounted on GOES-19. Space reports.
On October 21, 2025, a spectacular coronal mass ejection was recorded on the far side of the Sun, in the area of active sunspots AR 4246. The powerful plasma eruption occurred immediately after this active region turned to the side of the Sun that is invisible to ground-based telescopes, so only space-based observatories could see it.
The GOES-19 weather satellite, operated by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), orbits Earth at an altitude of about 36,000 kilometers. With its help, experts observe solar activity that shapes space weather and affects conditions on our planet.
Coronal mass ejections are some of the most massive explosive phenomena in the solar system. During such events, huge clouds of magnetized plasma from the solar corona are thrown into space, moving through interplanetary space at speeds that can reach several million kilometers per hour.
Many such ejections occur on the far side of the Sun, so they cannot be observed from Earth. However, they influence the formation of the structure of the solar wind, which passes near Earth or affects other planets – Venus and Mars. The CCOR-1 coronagraph on the GOES-19 satellite blocks the bright light of the solar disk, allowing it to record the expansion of coronal discharges in space.
When such discharges are directed towards Earth, they can cause geomagnetic storms. The more powerful the plasma burst, the stronger the storm becomes, which can cause bright auroras, as well as disrupt the operation of satellites and power systems. Although this particular coronal discharge did not have a direct impact on Earth, it clearly demonstrates the large-scale energy of our Sun. The resulting image allows us to assess the impact of such a solar storm on Earth and modern technology.
