On August 31, 2012, a long filament of solar material that had been hovering in the sun's atmosphere, the corona, erupted out into space at 4:36 p.m. EDT. The coronal mass ejection, or CME, traveled at over 900 miles per second. The CME did not travel directly toward Earth, but did connect with Earth's magnetic environment, or magnetosphere, causing aurora to appear on the night of Monday, September 3. (Photo by NASA/GSFC/SDO via The Atlantic)

N.C. Dezendorf, wife of the general manager of the Electro-Motive division of General Motors, christens the new lightweight “Aerotrain” at the company's locomotive works in La Grange, Ill. on August 22, 1955. (Photo by Edward Kitch/AP Photo)

Villagers riding a rickshaw maneuver along an overflowing dam at the border between Cavite province and Las Pinas city, in Las Pinas, Philippines, 25 October 2020. According to Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), Typhoon Molave will make landfall in the evening of 25 October in southern Luzon island. An alert was issued to residents for possible floods and landslides. (Photo by Francis R Malasig/EPA/EFE)

Tiny Irons attends the UK Film Premiere of Anuvahood at Empire Leicester Square on March 15, 2011 in London, England.

Lady Gaga performs at Staples Center on August 11, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

People watch the Pikachu parade which is a part of the 2023 Pokémon World Championships, at Grand Mall Park in Yokohama on August 11, 2023. (Photo by Philip Fong/AFP Photo)

A boy runs with a burning barrel soaked in tar at the annual Ottery St Mary tar barrel festival on November 5, 2015 in Ottery St. Mary, England. The tradition, which is over 400 years old, sees competitors (who must have been born in the town to take part) running with burning barrels on their backs through the village, until the heat becomes too unbearable or the barrel breaks down, starting with junior barrels carried by children and continuing all evening with ever larger and larger barrels. The event, which has been threatened with closure on previous years due to increasing public liability insurance costs, raises thousands of pounds for charity and attracts spectators from around the world. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

In this artist illustration handout from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) is seen. According to NASA, the 12,500 pound satellite will fall from orbit into earth's atmosphere anytime between September 22 through 24. It is estimated that the space craft will break up into about 100 pieces, with an estimated 26 of which could hit the earth over a possible 500 mile debris field. (Illustration by NASA via Getty Images)