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Two solar filaments lifted off the sun in beautiful eruptions on January 23, 2013. Both eruptions produced coronal mass ejections or CMEs observed with the SOHO LASCO C2 coronagraph at 3:12 UT and 14:12 UT respectively.
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The first eruption off the southeast solar disk produced a CME headed away from Earth towards the direction of the NASA Spitzer Space Telescope. The second CME is headed in the direction of Earth though most of the material is directed above Earth’s orbital plane (or the Ecliptic). NASA Space Weather Research Center simulations still indicate the CME with have a minor interaction with Earth’s magnetosphere at 11:26 UT on Jan. 26, 2013 (plus minus 7 hours).
A common type Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) with a speed of ~600 km/s left the sun midday Jan. 23, 2013 and is expected to impact Earth at about 11:26 UT on Jan. 26, 2013 (plus minus 7 hours). The impact is expected to be minor but those at high latitudes might get a show of aurora. Here is a simulation from the NASA Goddard Space Weather Research Center showing the CME heading towards Earth (yellow dot) along with another CME that is heading in the direction of the Spitzer spacecraft.
