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If a CME strikes the Earth, it can cause all sorts of problems, as enumerated in this list from NASA's Center for Space Environment Modeling:
- satellites experience the disruptive effects of energetic particles and differential electrical charging during various conditions
- astronauts are vulnerable to energetic radiation which may occur at Space Station altitudes
- navigation signals from the Global Positioning Satellites are affected by irregularities in the ionosphere that occur under some conditions
- massive disruptions in electric power distribution systems can be triggered by geomagnetic storms
On the other hand, as the charged particles smash into the Earth's atmosphere near the poles, they can also create beautiful CMEe.
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