Using 8 years of data collected via spacecraft, scientists produce hindcasts of plasma eruptions from the Sun. These will help improve forecasts.
solar activity
Posted inResearch Spotlights
For Magnetic Reconnection Energy, O—not X—Might Mark the Spot
A new analysis of satellite data could upend conventional wisdom about how solar storms produce their dangerous radiation—not from X-shaped mergers of magnetic field lines but from swirling vortices.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Plasma Waves Pinpointed at the Site of Magnetic Reconnection
When the Earth's and the Sun's magnetic fields meet, they realign in explosive and mysterious reconnections. Data suggest that plasma waves called kinetic Alfvén waves play a key role.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Electric "Tornadoes" in Space Drive Disturbances Down to Earth
New simulations show how shocks in space can trigger vortexes in Earth's magnetic field, causing magnetic disturbances that are detectable from the ground.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Protecting Communications Satellites from Space Weather
A recent analysis of proprietary telecommunications data identifies a potential source of anomalous satellite component performance, and what can be done to prevent this from happening in the future.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
What Causes Sunspot Pairs?
Analysis of magnetic fields on the Sun's surface offers a new clue on why sunspots appear.
Posted inScience Updates
Changing of the Guard: Satellite Will Warn Earth of Solar Storms
This summer, Earth gets a new guardian—the Deep Space Climate Observatory—to help warn astronauts and operators of critical planetary infrastructure about the Sun's raging magnetic storms.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Radio Blackout! Ham Radio as an Operational and Scientific Instrument
Monitoring solar activity that disrupts communications can be helped by crowdsourced and automated reports from amateur radio operators.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Can Scientists Boost Solar Modeling Despite a Lack of Data?
Researchers show that a data processing technique could salvage useful information from raw solar observations, opening the door to improved understanding of the solar dynamo.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Low Heliosphere Pressure Drives Wide CMEs in Weak Solar Cycles
Why are coronal mass ejections from the current solar cycle wider than others? Researchers investigate.