coronal mass ejection

noun

: a tremendous outburst of energy from the corona of the sun that can cause disruptions in the earth's geomagnetic field

As they had for the January eruption, the researchers relied on an armada of spacecraft to track the disturbance, known as a coronal mass ejection because it originates in the sun's outer atmosphere, or corona.

—R. Cowen

—abbreviation CME compare solar flare

Examples of coronal mass ejection in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This force is responsible for sunspots, solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). —Ryan French, Space.com, 9 Sep. 2025

Around the time of this flip, solar activity gradually ramps up, causing more solar eruptions like solar flares and coronal mass ejections. —Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025

Key Background Solar events like solar flares and coronal mass ejections are largely responsible for producing the northern lights. —Ty Roush, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025

This is a result of Monday night's intense geomagnetic storms, after a coronal mass ejection erupted from the sun over the weekend. —Valerie Mesa, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1974, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for coronal mass ejection

• abjection
• advection
• affection
• bijection
• bisection
• collection
• complexion
• confection
• connection
• connexion
• convection
• correction