Navigation Satellites Versus a Stormy Sun
This illustration depicts coronal mass ejections, or bursts of solar wind, coming off the Sun's surface heading toward Earth. The blue paths from the Earth's poles represent some magnetic field lines. By the time they reach earth, these magnetic cloud of plasma can grow to 30 million miles in width, disrupting communications and navigational equipment, damage satellites, and even cause blackouts.
Credit: ESA/NASA - SOHO/LASCO/EIT
