Witness the Sun's Stunning Solar Storm: An 'Extremely Rare' Eruption Captured on Video!

The sun is currently stirring up a cosmic spectacle that has astronomers and space enthusiasts buzzing with excitement!

On December 17, an 'extremely rare' farside coronal mass ejection (CME) erupted from the sun—a tremendous outburst of plasma and magnetic fields that has taken the scientific community by surprise. According to NASA's Space Weather Database of Notifications, Knowledge, Information (DONKI), this CME shot out at a staggering speed of approximately 1,964 miles per second (3,161 km/s). Luckily, this particular eruption originated from the far side of the sun, meaning it posed no threat to Earth.

Typically, slower CMEs can take anywhere from two to three days to reach our planet; however, if this CME had been directed toward Earth, it could have arrived in less than 18 hours. “BOOM! Big and very fast full-halo CME in LASCO imagery this afternoon,” wrote aurora and storm chaser Jure Atanackov on X, sharing his awe at the event.

Remarkably, this event marks the fourth observed farside CME in just ten days, indicating the presence of a highly active sunspot lurking just out of sight. This hidden sunspot is expected to rotate into view next week, so sky watchers and scientists are on alert for more potential eruptions.

The excitement didn't stop there; two other CMEs were also observed during the energetic solar filament eruptions from the southeastern limb of the sun. Solar filaments are massive clouds of ionized gas that hover over the sun’s surface. When instability occurs, these filaments can either collapse back onto the sun or erupt into space, potentially sending CMEs soaring outward. However, despite the impressive activity, astronomers confirmed that none of these eruptions were directed toward Earth.

“Two very photogenic eruptions of plasma from the eastern edge of the Sun this morning! Neither are Earth-directed,” noted solar astrophysicist Ryan French, who also highlighted the stunning imaging captured with the Lasco coronograph.

The intricate structures observed in the CMEs are awe-inspiring, with French commenting on the “beautiful structure” of the second coronal mass ejection in particular, showcasing the sun’s dynamic and untamed nature.

Stay tuned, as we await the rotation of the active sunspot toward Earth next week, and keep your eyes on the skies—who knows what else our fiery star may have in store for us!