Astronomy Picture of the Day [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2026 June 24 Your browser does not support the video tag. SDO Observes a Coronal Mass Ejection Video Credit: [2]NASA, [3]SDO, [4]AIA; Processing: [5]Richard Petarius III ([6]MTU) Text: [7]Keighley Rockcliffe ([8]NASA [9]GSFC, [10]UMBC CSST, [11]CRESST II) Explanation: Why does the Sun throw stuff at us? The Sun’s surface is a churning soup of energetic electrons and [12]ions called [13]plasma. The motion of those charged particles creates [14]magnetic field loops that are [15]larger than the Earth. These loops twist, turn, and [16]trap plasma. The featured time-lapse, taken over 2 hours on April 24th, 2026 by the [17]Solar Dynamics Observatory, shows what happens when those magnetic fields become too stressed: they snap and expel billions of tons (trillions of kilograms) of plasma into space at millions of miles (or kilometers) per hour in what is called a [18]coronal mass ejection (CME). The Sun releases a few CMEs each day when it is at [19]the peak of its activity cycle, which passed in 2025. Some of these eruptions hit Earth and can disrupt power grids, disable satellites, and endanger astronauts, which is why [20]space weather monitoring is so important. Tomorrow's picture: anticrepuscular rays __________________________________________________________________ [21]< | [22]Archive | [23]Submissions | [24]Index | [25]Search | [26]Calendar | [27]RSS | [28]Education | [29]About APOD | [30]Discuss | [31]> __________________________________________________________________ Authors & editors: [32]Robert Nemiroff ([33]MTU) & [34]Jerry Bonnell ([35]UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn [36]Specific rights apply. [37]NASA Web Privacy, [38]Accessibility, [39]Notices; A service of: [40]ASD at [41]NASA / [42]GSFC, [43]NASA Science Activation & [44]Michigan Tech. U. References 1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 2. https://www.nasa.gov/ 3. https://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/ 4. https://aia.lmsal.com/ 5. https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-petarius-iii/ 6. https://www.mtu.edu/physics/ 7. https://kerockcliffe.com/ 8. https://science.gsfc.nasa.gov/sci/bio/keighley.e.rockcliffe 9. https://www.nasa.gov/goddard/ 10. https://csst.umbc.edu/directory/ 11. https://cresst2.umd.edu/ 12. https://www.khanacademy.org/science/hs-chemistry/x2613d8165d88df5e:atoms-isotopes-and-ions/x2613d8165d88df5e:ions/a/ions?referrer=share_link 13. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3T2ldsdtMg 14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250730.html 15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap140304.html 16. https://imgur.com/Kdl1ozo 17. https://science.nasa.gov/mission/sdo/ 18. https://www.spaceweather.gov/phenomena/coronal-mass-ejections 19. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E65T2AV-EjM 20. https://www.noaa.gov/education/resource-collections/weather-atmosphere/space-weather 21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260623.html 22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html 24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html 25. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search 26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html 27. https://apod.com/feed.rss 28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html 29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html 30. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=260624 31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260625.html 32. https://www.mtu.edu/physics/department/faculty/nemiroff/ 33. https://www.mtu.edu/physics/ 34. https://inspirehep.net/authors/1073087 35. http://www.astro.umd.edu/ 36. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 37. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html 38. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/ 39. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/ 40. https://science.gsfc.nasa.gov/astrophysics/ 41. https://www.nasa.gov/ 42. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/ 43. https://science.nasa.gov/learn/about-science-activation/ 44. http://www.mtu.edu/