Blink and you’ll miss it, but researchers have recorded a never-before-seen phenomenon bursting from the surface of the Sun: large-scale blast waves paired with particle emissions that are rich in helium-3.
Extending over more than 500,000 kilometres (300,000 miles) and travelling at speeds of around 300 km (190 miles) per second, these blast waves are thought to propel helium-3-rich particle streams into space - something that’s previously been observed but not explained.