--- title: "The Sun Just Let Off a Really Nasty Fart" description: "The sun was captured letting off a ball of gas — which, in other words, makes a solar flare seem a lot like a solar fart." date: "2022-07-19" modified: "2022-07-19" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/sun-fart" categories: - "Off-World" - "Space" tags: - "coronal mass ejection" - "solar storms" - "the digest" - "the sun" --- # The Sun Just Let Off a Really Nasty Fart ![The sun was captured letting off a ball of gas — which, in other words, makes a solar flare seem a lot like a solar fart.]() *\Image: NOAA\* ## Gaseous You know those [thermal camera videos of people farting]() that show the gas coming out of their derrieres? Imagine that, but with the Sun — which is pretty much what we got in an amazing new video of our star, well, ejecting a huge load of plasma. Posted [by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]() (NOAA), the video depicts a coronal mass ejection, which is a solar storm that spews out plasma and magnetic energy from the Sun's atmosphere. Which is pretty much a fart, right? We're not the only ones who think so, either — at least one Twitter user pointed out that the Sun appears to have "pooted a lil" in this incredible video of our life-giving star. https://twitter.com/Yuko/status/1549413060988764166 ## Boldly Go The NOAA's latest satellite, [the GOES-18](), was launched in early March and became fully operational in late June, but you wouldn't be blamed for missing it after the much-anticipated rollout of [NASA's James Webb Space Telescope](). This epic fart video was taken on July 10 by the Solar Ultraviolet Imager, GOES-18's imaging device. It may not be as sexy as the Webb, but [GOES-18's expected lifespan is 15 years]() — a good five years longer than the [JWST's five-to-ten-year lifetime](), but who's counting? ## Tooted and Booted This isn't the first CME the sun has tooted out — one ["canyon of fire" solar storm]() earlier in 2022 [led to incredible Aurora Borealis sightings](). While you may see some pundits claiming that a Sun fart like this will lead to power grid outages here on our pale blue dot, these sorts of flares — and [others much larger]() — happen regularly and usually don't end up affecting electronics on Earth beyond short-wave radio here and there. In short, we can all enjoy a little potty humor without adding yet another thing out of our control to worry about. **More on CMEs:** *[Here's What Happens When a Solar Storm Slams Into Earth]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()