In this guided inquiry tutorial, students apply their knowledge of kinematics and dynamics to determine when particles were accelerated by an interplanetary shock wave from a coronal mass ejection (CME). Students analyze: 1) coronagraph images taken by the NASA's SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory), and 2) proton flux graphs recorded by a Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) detector during a CME event that sent high-energy protons in a trajectory toward Earth. Key takeaways from this lesson: the shockwaves that accelerated the protons did so at a point near the Sun, CME events can be measured and classified by speed and intensity, and energy from the event can be quantified and represented graphically. This resource is designed to supplement a standard university level mechanics course at either the introductory or advanced level.