Coronal mass-ejection events

Nearly fifteen years have passed since the discovery of coronal mass ejection events from the solar atmosphere. Progress in the interpretation of the observational results has led to a body of knowledge concerning the geometrical and evolutionary properties, physical characteristics, and the association of this type of event with other forms of solar activity. Recent interpretive results taken from the large body of observational data now available are discussed below in some detail. A classification system based on kinetic properties of these events is presented.