Revealed: 'Natural thermostat' that cools the air in Earth's atmosphere during violent solar storms Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) release electrically charged plasma from the sun These also create shock waves similar to supersonic planes making sonic booms The shockwaves heat up and expand Earth's atmosphere However, they also cause nitric oxide to form, which cools it down again Strong solar activity, which includes CMEs, is known to damage satellites, cause power outages back on Earth, and even disrupt GPS navigation services The shockwaves heat up and expand Earth's atmosphere Researchers have pinpointed the'natural thermostat' that cools the air in Earth's upper atmosphere after violent solar storms. What the polar vortex looks like from space: NASA satellite... Juno captures stunning image of one of Jupiter's'pearls':... The'jackpot' under Curiosity's wheels: NASA says rover has... From Saturn's atmosphere to its icy halos: Cassini captures... What the polar vortex looks like from space: NASA satellite... Juno captures stunning image of one of Jupiter's'pearls':... The'jackpot' under Curiosity's wheels: NASA says rover has... From Saturn's atmosphere to its icy halos: Cassini captures... The new study compared two 15-year-long sets of satellite data - one from the Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) instrument riding on Nasa's TIMED satellite (illustrated), and the other from US Department of Defense satellites Caught on camera: Checkout line fight erupts over couponing Drag race ends in Lamborghini crashing into other cars Angry motorist challenges traffic warden over'illegal parking' Couponing mom attacked inside store for holding up the line'Scumbag unions': Chants outside Brighton rail station Amir Khan's wife Faryal Makhdoom snapchats an'apology' Real-life Amazon Drone delivery begin trials with no human pilot Feliks Zemdegs breaks Rubik's cube speed-solving world record'We talked about life': Trump and Kanye discuss surprise meet Watch woman get dragged off jet by police in Detroit Impressive fireball lights up Spain's Costa del Sol night sky'We talked about life': Trump and Kanye discuss surprise meet Growing Pains star Alan Thicke, 69, dies suddenly after... Moment an extreme couponer is attacked by a furious customer... IBM to hire 25,000 more workers in the US in the next four... Kanye 2024: Rapper makes VIP trip to Trump Tower to meet... 'I can't feel anything Meg.