NASA reveals SCARY truth behind Cannibal CME: The worst solar storm offender for Earth
In just a few hours, the Earth is expected to witness a G1-class geomagnetic storm. This minor storm will be triggered by a coronal mass ejection (CME) cloud which is going to deliver glancing blows to the Earth. The storm is not expected to be intense. And one of the reasons behind that is the CME cloud is not a cannibal CME. This particular subtype of CME is considered one of the most dangerous solar phenomena when it comes to triggering solar storms. Recently, the NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) detected such a CME, which was luckily moving away from the Earth. So, what makes them so scary and why are they associated with the worst solar storms on our planet? Find out below.
As per a report by SpaceWeather.com, “Cannibal CMEs are great at sparking geomagnetic storms and auroras. When two CMEs merge, the compression creates shock waves and enhanced magnetic fields that can poke holes in Earth's magnetosphere--opening the door to strong storms. Some of the biggest geomagnetic storms in recorded history were probably caused by cannibal CMEs”.
In a detailed sequence of events, NASA has explained exactly how a cannibal CME works. Whenever there are multiple clouds of CME being released from the same location, the cloud coming out later can absorb the one in the front as long as it is brighter and faster than it. As it absorbs the fainter CME, it accumulates the magnetic charge and intensifies further. This is known as a cannibal CME.
Since cannibal CME devours multiple clouds, their overall intensity is extremely high. When they finally strike the Earth, the combined strength of the CME particles easily breaks open the Earth's magnetic field and causes powerful solar storms. It is believed that the solar storm
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