Sun Blasts Out Summer Solstice Shockwave

The Sun emitted an Earth-directed coronal mass ejection as the planet's northern hemisphere entered its summer solstice.

This latest coronal mass ejection, or CME, is considered relatively fast. Experimental NASA research models clocked the solar shockwave at speeds of 1,350 miles per second.

NASA's Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory and ESA/NASA's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory recoded the CME leaving the Sun on June 20 at 11:24 p.m. EDT, only about  an hour and a half before the time zone reached the summer solstice, which results in the longest period of daylight in the northern hemeshphere all year as the result of Earth's north-south axis being tilted at 23.4 degrees along the plane of the solar system

Earth-directed CMEs can cause geomagnetic storms, which are capable of interfering with radio and satellite communications, causing damage to power grids, as well as supercharging the aurora borealis and creating spectacular Northern Lights displays. In the past, geomagnetic storms caused by CMEs of similar strength have only caused mild disruption, NASA reported.

The CME event coincided with a relatively weak M2-class solar flare from sunspot AR1777, which reportedly has been flaring for days, according to SpaceWeather.com. 

Unlike a solar flare, a CME doesn't produce intense light. But it does produce a magnetic shockwave that extends billions of miles out into space, according to sciene writer Jonathan Strickland. 

"The solstice explosion was not Earth-directed, but future explosions could be as the Sun's rotation continues to turn AR1777 toward our planet. NOAA forecasters estimate a 30 percent chance of M-flares and a 5 percent chance of X-flares during the next 24 hours," the space weather site reported.  

In recent months the Sun has been quite active, as the star is entering the peak of its 11-year solar cycle. In May the Sun erupted with four powerful X-class solar flares in one week.