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Coronal mass ejections SOHO/LASCO catalogue since 1996: speeds, halos, fast CMEs

Sun · coronagraph

Billions of tonnes of plasma

The 32 CMEs of the last days of the catalogue (up to 2026-07-31), replayed as the LASCO C3 coronagraph sees them: each leaves at its position angle, with its width and a speed proportional to its measured speed. A full halo means an ejection aimed at the Earth or directly away from it.

First C2 image
—
Linear speed
—
Width · angle
—
  • < 500 km/s
  • 500–1000 km/s
  • ≥ 1000 km/s
Latest CME in the catalogue
300 km/s
2026-07-31 20:00 UTC
112°
Fastest since 1996
3,387 km/s
2004-11-10
Full halos
1,033
1996 → 2026
SOHO/LASCO CME catalogue (CDAW Data Center) · NASA, public domain; acknowledgement requested (CDAW, SOHO is an ESA/NASA project) · 10/23/26

Schematic: occulting disk ≈ 3 solar radii, field ≈ 13 solar radii. Compressed time, relative speeds kept. Positions and widths from the CDAW catalogue (SOHO/LASCO, manual measurements).

Catalogued CMEs
43,440
1996 → 2026-07-31
 
SOHO/LASCO CME catalogue (CDAW Data Center) · NASA, public domain; acknowledgement requested (CDAW, SOHO is an ESA/NASA project) · 10/23/26
CMEs over 12 months
1,871
up to 2026-07-31 (end of the catalogue)
 
SOHO/LASCO CME catalogue (CDAW Data Center) · NASA, public domain; acknowledgement requested (CDAW, SOHO is an ESA/NASA project) · 10/23/26
Full halos
1,033
360° width: towards the Earth or away from it
 
SOHO/LASCO CME catalogue (CDAW Data Center) · NASA, public domain; acknowledgement requested (CDAW, SOHO is an ESA/NASA project) · 10/23/26
CMEs ≥ 1000 km/s
1,036
of which 415 full halos
 
SOHO/LASCO CME catalogue (CDAW Data Center) · NASA, public domain; acknowledgement requested (CDAW, SOHO is an ESA/NASA project) · 10/23/26
CMEs detected per year since 1996 SOHO/LASCO CME catalogue (CDAW Data Center) · NASA, public domain; acknowledgement requested (CDAW, SOHO is an ESA/NASA project) · 10/23/26
Show the data as a table
Full halos and fast CMEs per year SOHO/LASCO CME catalogue (CDAW Data Center) · NASA, public domain; acknowledgement requested (CDAW, SOHO is an ESA/NASA project) · 10/23/26 SOHO/LASCO CME catalogue (CDAW Data Center) · NASA, public domain; acknowledgement requested (CDAW, SOHO is an ESA/NASA project) · 10/23/26 SOHO/LASCO CME catalogue (CDAW Data Center) · NASA, public domain; acknowledgement requested (CDAW, SOHO is an ESA/NASA project) · 10/23/26
Show the data as a table
The ten fastest CMEs of the catalogue
#First C2 image (UTC)Speed (km/s)Position angle (°)WidthKinetic energyRemarks
12004-11-10 01:263 387 km/sHalohalo6E32 erg—
22017-09-10 14:003 163 km/sHalohalo2E33 erg—
32005-01-15 22:062 861 km/sHalohalo7E32 erg—
42023-12-31 21:002 852 km/sHalohalo4E32 ergFixed the MVI roll angle issue on 2026-01-30
52024-02-12 05:362 792 km/sHalohalo6E32 erg—
62024-02-09 12:252 782 km/sHalohalo4E32 erg—
72022-09-05 14:362 776 km/sHalohalo1E32 ergFixed the MVI roll angle issue on 2026-01-30; Only 2 points
82012-03-06 23:242 684 km/sHalohalo5E32 erg—
92003-11-04 18:542 657 km/sHalohalo6E32 ergOnly 3 points
102013-05-13 23:252 625 km/sHalohalo2E32 erg—
CME catalogue SOHO/LASCO CME catalogue (CDAW Data Center) · NASA, public domain; acknowledgement requested (CDAW, SOHO is an ESA/NASA project) · 10/23/26
First C2 image (UTC)Position angle (°)WidthSpeed (km/s)Speed at 20 R☉MassRemarks
2026-05-12 13:1227716°721753—Poor Event
2026-05-11 22:4812971°17878——
2026-05-11 20:007351°270——Poor Event; Only C2
2026-05-11 06:1214724°313——Poor Event; Only C2
2026-05-10 11:48Halo360° · halo1 4861 439——
2026-05-10 06:247175°198167—Very Poor Event; Only C2
2026-05-09 16:1225749°440363——
2026-05-09 12:001447°340——Poor Event; Only C2
2026-05-08 02:497650°582621—Poor Event
2026-05-07 19:366736°400400—Poor Event
2026-05-07 13:0065248°651574—Partial Halo
2026-05-07 08:367039°524201—Poor Event
2026-05-07 04:247525°389358—Poor Event
2026-05-07 00:2414356°314231—Poor Event
2026-05-06 23:2662192°630512—Partial Halo
2026-05-06 13:366464°280397——
2026-05-06 06:2460120°440799——
2026-05-05 23:265049°244——Poor Event
2026-05-05 18:574871°331——Poor Event
2026-05-05 18:3612154°175——Very Poor Event; Only C2
2026-05-05 11:2630456°294156—Poor Event; Only C2
2026-05-05 05:485348°356410—Poor Event
2026-05-05 00:485360°408557—Poor Event
2026-05-04 19:244168°226314—Poor Event
2026-05-04 12:2422836°247671—Only C2
2026-05-04 12:1228353°149691—Poor Event; Only C2
2026-05-04 09:3628655°271699—Poor Event
2026-05-03 22:1299103°413525——
2026-05-03 20:242322°307245—Very Poor Event
2026-05-03 12:362421°148——Very Poor Event; Only C2
2026-05-03 01:361752°362506—Poor Event
2026-05-02 17:1229764°242323—Poor Event; Only C2
2026-05-02 09:48223110°301284——
2026-05-02 09:1229680°596532——
2026-05-02 08:2431720°1301 318—Very Poor Event; Only C2
2026-05-02 04:2429979°226508—Very Poor Event; Only C2
2026-05-01 13:4830191°278276—Poor Event
2026-05-01 13:2810769°468480—Poor Event
2026-05-01 12:1219850°3051 056—Poor Event; Only C2
2026-05-01 08:2430670°219267—Very Poor Event; Only C2
2026-04-30 17:2430255°225252—Poor Event
2026-04-30 16:12191137°210672—Very Poor Event; Partial Halo
2026-04-30 11:4818989°158——Very Poor Event; Only C2
2026-04-30 11:2610133°231851—Very Poor Event; Only C2
2026-04-30 05:2430556°188348—Very Poor Event; Only C2
2026-04-30 04:2410147°478——Poor Event
2026-04-29 19:1210925°4531 534—Very Poor Event; Only C2
2026-04-28 22:0025864°104248—Poor Event
2026-04-28 22:004318°531628—Poor Event; Only C2
2026-04-28 14:2418430°6021 398—Poor Event
Method and sources

The catalogue of the CDAW Data Center (NASA GSFC and The Catholic University of America, with the Naval Research Laboratory) lists every CME seen since 1996 by the LASCO C2 and C3 coronagraphs on SOHO. For each: time of the first C2 image, central position angle (measured from solar north towards the east), angular width, linear speed (fit to the measured heights), second-order speeds and speed at 20 solar radii, acceleration, mass and energy when estimated.

The single catalogue file is re-read daily; values marked with an asterisk (few measurement points) are kept as published. Yearly counts are computed from the imported rows.

Reading these data
The catalogue is measured by hand and published several weeks to months behind real time. Speeds are projected on the plane of the sky. A halo is seen all around the disk: it can be heading towards the Earth or away from it (far side). SOHO was lost from June to October 1998 and again in early 1999. The number of small CMEs detected increased with the image cadence.
SOURCES OF THIS PAGE
SOHO/LASCO CME catalogue (CDAW Data Center)
Yashiro, S., Gopalswamy, N., et al. (2004). A catalog of white light coronal mass ejections observed by the SOHO spacecraft. JGR 109, A07105; Gopalswamy, N., et al. (2009), Earth Moon Planets 104, 295. The CME catalog is generated and maintained at the CDAW Data Center by NASA and The Catholic University of America in cooperation with the Naval Research Laboratory. SOHO is a project of international cooperation between ESA and NASA. · doi:10.1029/2003JA010282 · source page ↗
Licence : NASA, public domain; acknowledgement requested (CDAW, SOHO is an ESA/NASA project) · retrieved on Oct 23, 2026 · SHA-256 7f74bca5d28a…
Yashiro et al. (2004)
Yashiro, S., Gopalswamy, N., Michalek, G., St. Cyr, O. C., Plunkett, S. P., Rich, N. B., Howard, R. A. (2004). A catalog of white light coronal mass ejections observed by the SOHO spacecraft. Journal of Geophysical Research 109, A07105. · doi:10.1029/2003JA010282
Licence : Published literature; cited
Gopalswamy et al. (2009)
Gopalswamy, N., Yashiro, S., Michalek, G., et al. (2009). The SOHO/LASCO CME Catalog. Earth, Moon, and Planets 104, 295–313. · doi:10.1007/s11038-008-9282-7
Licence : Published literature; cited