Space weather has attracted a lot of attention in recent times. Severe
space weather can disrupt spacecraft, and on Earth can be the cause of
power outages and power station failure. It also presents a radiation
hazard for airline passengers and astronauts. These "magnetic storms"
are most commonly caused by coronal mass ejections, or CMES, which are
large eruptions of plasma and magnetic field from the Sun that can reach
speeds of several thousand km/s.
In this SpringerBrief, Space Weather and Coronal Mass Ejections, author
Timothy Howard briefly introduces the coronal mass ejection, its
scientific importance, and its relevance to space weather at Earth and
other planets. This title focuses on the latest advances in CME
observation and modeling, including new results from the NASA STEREO and
SDO missions. It also includes topical issues regarding space weather
and the most recent observations and anecdotal examples of the impacts
of space weather and CMEs.