CME -- HSS interaction and characteristics tracked from Sun to Earth
Stephan G. Heinemann, Manuela Temmer, Charles J. Farrugia, Karin Dissauer, Christina Kay, Thomas Wiegelmann, Mateja Dumbović, Astrid M. Veronig, Tatiana Podladc… 展开作者
Stephan G. Heinemann, Manuela Temmer, Charles J. Farrugia, Karin Dissauer, Christina Kay, Thomas Wiegelmann, Mateja Dumbović, Astrid M. Veronig, Tatiana Podladchikova, Stefan J. Hofmeister, Noé Lugaz, Fernando Carcaboso
In a thorough study, we investigate the origin of a remarkable plasma and magnetic field configuration observed in situ on June 22, 2011 near L1, which appears to be a magnetic ejecta (ME) and a shock signature engulfed by a solar wind high-speed stream (HSS). We identify the signatures as an Earth-directed coronal mass ejection (CME), associated with a C7.7 flare on June 21, 2011, and its interaction with a HSS, which emanates from a coronal hole (CH) close to the launch site of the CME. The results indicate that the major interaction between the CME and the HSS starts at a height of 1.3 Rsun up to 3 Rsun. Over that distance range, the CME undergoes a strong north-eastward deflection of at least 30 degrees due to the open magnetic field configuration of the CH. We perform a comprehensive analysis for the CME-HSS event using multi-viewpoint data (from the Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatories, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory and the Solar Dynamics Observatory), and combined modeling efforts (nonlinear force-free field modeling, Graduated Cylindrical Shell CME modeling, and the Forecasting a CMEs Altered Trajectory ForeCAT model). We aim at better understanding its early evolution and interaction process as well as its interplanetary propagation and related in situ signatures, and finally the resulting impact on the Earth's magnetosphere.
We present the first PSP-observed CME that hits a second spacecraft before the end of the PSP encounter, providing an excellent opportunity to study short-term CME evolution. The CME was launched from the Sun on 10 October 2019 and was measured in situ at PSP on 13 October 2019 and at STEREO-A on 14 October 2019. The small, but not insignificant, radial (~0.15 au) and longitudinal (~8 deg) separation between PSP and STEREO-A at this time allows for observations of both short-term radial evolution as well as investigation of the global CME structure in longitude. Although initially a slow CME, …
Among the eruptive activity phenomena observed on the Sun, the most technology threatening ones are flares with associated coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and solar energetic particles (SEPs). Flares with associated CMEs and SEPs are produced by magnetohydrodynamical processes in magnetically active regions (ARs) on the Sun. However, these ARs do not only produce flares with associated CMEs and SEPs, they also lead to flares and CMEs, which are not associated with any other event. In an attempt to distinguish flares with associated CMEs and SEPs from flares and CMEs, which are unassociated with …
The explosion of space weather research since the early 1990s has been partly fueled by the unprecedented, uniform, and extended observations of solar disturbances from space and ground based instruments. Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) from closed magnetic field regions and high speed streams (HSS) from open field regions on the Sun account for most of the disturbances relevant to space weather. The main consequences of CMEs and HSS are their ability to cause geomagnetic storms and accelerate particles. Particles accelerated by CME driven shocks can pose danger to humans and their technological…
The activity of the Sun alternates between a solar minimum and a solar maximum, the former corresponding to a period of "quieter" status of the heliosphere. During solar minimum, it is in principle more straightforward to follow eruptive events and solar wind structures from their birth at the Sun throughout their interplanetary journey. In this paper, we report analysis of the origin, evolution, and heliospheric impact of a series of solar transient events that took place during the second half of August 2018, i.e. in the midst of the late declining phase of Solar Cycle 24. In particular, we …
We present an analysis of {\it in situ} and remote-sensing measurements of a coronal mass ejection (CME) that erupted on 2021 February 20 and impacted both the Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO)-A and the {\it Wind} spacecraft, which were separated longitudinally by 55$^\circ$. Measurements on 2021 February 24 at both spacecraft are consistent with the passage of a magnetic ejecta (ME), making this one of the widest reported multi-spacecraft ME detections. The CME is associated with a low-inclined and wide filament eruption from the Sun's southern hemisphere, which propagates bet…
We study the occurrence of magnetic storms in space age (1957-2021) using Dst and Dxt indices. We find 2526/2743 magnetic storms in the Dxt/Dst index, out of which 45% are weak, 40% moderate, 12% intense and 3% major storms. Occurrence of storms in space age follows the slow decrease of sunspot activity and the related change in solar magnetic structure. We quantify the sunspot - CME storm relation in the five cycles of space age. We explain how the varying solar activity changes the structure of the heliospheric current sheet (HCS), and how this affects the HSS/CIR storms. Space age started w…
August 1 to November 15, 2016 period was characterized by the presence of Corotating Interaction Regions (CIRs) and a few weak Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) in the heliosphere. In this study we show recurrent energetic electron and proton enhancements observed near Earth (1 AU) and Mars (1.43-1.38 AU) during this period. The observations near Earth are using data from instruments aboard ACE, SOHO, and SDO whereas those near Mars are by the SEP, SWIA, and MAG instruments aboard MAVEN. During this period, the energetic electron fluxes observed near Earth and Mars showed prominent periodic enhanc…
We present a study of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) which impacted one of the STEREO spacecraft between January 2008 and early 2010. We focus our study on 20 CMEs which were observed remotely by the Heliospheric Imagers (HIs) onboard the other STEREO spacecraft up to large heliocentric distances. We compare the predictions of the Fixed-Phi and Harmonic Mean (HM) fitting methods, which only differ by the assumed geometry of the CME. It is possible to use these techniques to determine from remote-sensing observations the CME direction of propagation, arrival time and final speed which are compar…
We investigate the source eruption, propagation and expansion characteristics, and heliospheric impacts of the 2020 November 29 coronal mass ejection (CME) and associated shock, using remote sensing and in situ observations from multiple spacecraft. A potential--field source--surface model is employed to examine the coronal magnetic fields surrounding the source region. The CME and associated shock are tracked from the early stage to the outer corona using extreme ultraviolet and white light observations. Forward models are applied to determine the structures and kinematics of the CME and the …
In 2010 May 23-24, SDO observed the launch of two successive coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which were subsequently tracked by the SECCHI suite onboard STEREO. Using the COR2 coronagraphs and the heliospheric imagers (HIs), the initial direction of both CMEs is determined to be slightly west of the Sun-Earth line. We derive the CME kinematics, including the evolution of the CME expansion until 0.4 AU. We find that, during the interaction, the second CME decelerates from a speed above 500 km/s to 380 km/s the speed of the leading edge of the first CME. STEREO observes a complex structure compos…
Context. We study two coronal mass ejections (CMEs) observed between April 1-2, 2019 by both the inner Wide-Field Imager for Parker Solar Probe (WISPR-I) and the inner heliospheric imager (HI-1) on board STEREO-A. This is the first study of CME observations from two viewpoints in similar directions but at considerably different solar distances. Aims. Our objective is to understand how the PSP observations affect the CME kinematics, especially due to its proximity to the Sun. Methods. We estimate the CME positions, speeds, accelerations, propagation directions and longitudinal deflections using…
The prediction of the arrival time and transit speed of CMEs near the Earth is one of the key problems in understanding the solar terrestrial relationship. Although, STEREO observations now provide a multiple view of CMEs in the heliosphere, the true speeds derived from stereoscopic reconstruction of SECCHI coronagraph data are not quite sufficient in accurate forecasting of arrival time of a majority of CMEs at the Earth. This is due to many factors which change the CME kinematics, like interaction of two or more CMEs or the interaction of CMEs with the pervading solar wind. In order to under…
We present a detailed study of an earth-directed coronal mass ejection (Full halo CME) event happened on 2011 February 15 making use of white light observations by three coronagraphs and radio observations by Wind/WAVES. We applied three different methods to reconstruct the propagation direction and traveling distance of the CME and its driven shock. We measured the kinematics of the CME leading edge from white light images observed by STEREO A and B, tracked the CME-driven shock using the frequency drift observed by Wind/WAVES together with an interplanetary density model, and obtained the eq…
Aims. Our goal is to thoroughly analyse the dynamics of single and multiple solar eruptions, as well as a stealth ejecta. The data were obtained through self-consistent numerical simulations performed in a previous study. We also assess the effect of a different background solar wind on the propagation of these ejecta to Earth. Methods. We calculated all the components of the forces contributing to the evolution of the numerically modelled consecutive coronal mass ejections (CMEs) obtained with the 2.5D magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) module of the code MPI-AMRVAC. We analysed the thermal and magne…
Understanding of the kinematic evolution of Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) in the heliosphere is important to estimate their arrival time at the Earth. It is found that kinematics of CMEs can change when they interact or collide with each other as they propagate in the heliosphere. In this paper, we analyze the collision and post-interaction characteristics of two Earth-directed CMEs, launched successively on 2012 November 9 and 10, using white light imaging observations from STEREO/SECCHI and in situ observations taken from WIND spacecraft. We tracked two density enhanced features associated w…
We investigate the performance of six methods for predicting the CME time of arrival (ToA) and velocity at Earth using a sample of nine Earth-impacting CMEs between May 2010 and June 2011. The CMEs were tracked continuously from the Sun to near Earth in multi-viewpoint imaging data from STEREO SECCHI and SOHO LASCO. We use the Graduate Cylindrical Shell (GCS) model to estimate the three-dimensional direction and height of the CMEs in every image out to $\sim$200 R$_\odot$. We fit the derived three-dimensional (deprojected) height and time data with six different methods to extrapolate the CME …
In a case study (June 6-7, 2008) we report on how the internal structure of a coronal mass ejection (CME) at 1 AU can be anticipated from remote observations of white-light images of the heliosphere. Favorable circumstances are the absence of fast equatorial solar wind streams and a low CME velocity which allow us to relate the imaging and in-situ data in a straightforward way. The STEREO-B spacecraft encountered typical signatures of a magnetic flux rope inside an interplanetary CME (ICME) whose axis was inclined at 45 degree to the solar equatorial plane. Various CME direction-finding techni…
Investigating the heliospheric evolution and consequences of Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) is critical to understanding the solar-terrestrial relationship. For the first time, Heliospheric Imagers (HIs) onboard STEREO, providing multiple views of CMEs in the heliosphere, observed the vast and crucial observational gap between the Sun and the Earth. Using J-maps constructed from coronagraphs (CORs) and HIs observations, we continuously tracked different density enhanced features of CMEs. We implemented several reconstruction methods to estimate the three-dimensional (3D) kinematics of CMEs duri…
We study three CME/ICME events (2008 June 1-6, 2009 February 13-18, 2010 April 3-5) tracked from Sun to 1 AU in remote-sensing observations of STEREO Heliospheric Imagers and in situ plasma and magnetic field measurements. We focus on the ICME propagation in IP space that is governed by two forces, the propelling Lorentz force and the drag force. We address the question at which heliospheric distance range the drag becomes dominant and the CME gets adjusted to the solar wind flow. To this aim we analyze speed differences between ICMEs and the ambient solar wind flow as function of distance. Th…
Multi-spacecraft observations are used to study the in-situ effects of a large CME erupting from the farside of the Sun on 3 November 2011, with particular emphasis on the associated solar energetic particle (SEP) event. At that time both Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) spacecraft were located more than 90 degrees from Earth and could observe the CME eruption directly, with the CME visible on-disk from STEREO-B and off the limb from STEREO-A. Signatures of pressure variations in the corona such as deflected streamers were seen, indicating the presence of a coronal shock associ…
This paper presents an overview of results obtained during the CAWSES II period on the short term variability of the Sun and how it affects the near Earth space environment. CAWSES II was planned to examine the behavior of the solar terrestrial system as the solar activity climbed to its maximum phase in solar cycle 24. After a deep minimum following cycle 23, the Sun climbed to a very weak maximum in terms of the sunspot number in cycle 24 (MiniMax24), so many of the results presented here refer to this weak activity in comparison with cycle 23. The short term variability that has immediate c…
This paper presents the response of the ionosphere during the intense geomagnetic storms of October 12-20, 2016 and May 26-31, 2017 which occurred during the declining phase of the solar cycle 24. Total Electron Content (TEC) from GPS measured at Indore, Calcutta and Siliguri having geomagnetic dips varying from 32.23°N, 32°N and 39.49°N respectively and at the International GNSS Service (IGS) stations at Lucknow (beyond anomaly crest), Hyderabad (between geomagnetic equator and northern crest of EIA) and Bangalore (near magnetic equator) in the Indian longitude zone have been used for the sto…
We study magnetic field evolution in AR12371 relating its successive eruptive nature. During the disk transit of seven days, the AR launched four sequential fast coronal mass ejections (CMEs) associated with long duration M-class flares. Morphological study delineates a pre-eruptive coronal sigmoid structure above the polarity inversion line (PIL) similar to Moore et al study. Velocity field derived from tracked magnetograms indicates persistent shear and converging motions of polarity regions about the PIL. While these shear motions continue, the crossed arms of two sigmoid elbows are being b…
Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) can be continuously tracked through a large portion of the inner heliosphere by direct imaging in visible and radio wavebands. White-light (WL) signatures of solar wind transients, such as CMEs, result from Thomson scattering of sunlight by free electrons, and therefore depend on both the viewing geometry and the electron density. The Faraday rotation (FR) of radio waves from extragalactic pulsars and quasars, which arises due to the presence of such solar wind features, depends on the line-of-sight magnetic field component $B_\parallel$, and the electron density.…
A bright prominence associated with a coronal mass ejection (CME) was seen erupting from the Sun on 9 April 2008. This prominence was tracked by both the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) EUVI and COR1 telescopes, and was seen to rotate about the line of sight as it erupted; therefore, the event has been nicknamed the "Cartwheel CME." The threads of the prominence in the core of the CME quite clearly indicate the structure of a weakly to moderately twisted flux rope throughout the field of view, up to heliocentric heights of 4 solar radii. Although the STEREO separation was 48 d…
An accurate forecast of flare and CME initiation requires precise measurements of the magnetic energy build up and release in the active regions of the solar atmosphere. We designed a new space weather mission that performs such measurements using new optical instruments based on the Hanle and Zeeman effects. The mission consists of two satellites, one orbiting the L1 Lagrangian point (Spacecraft Earth, SCE) and the second in heliocentric orbit at 1AU trailing the Earth by 80$^\circ$ (Spacecraft 80, SC80). Optical instruments measure the vector magnetic field in multiple layers of the solar at…
We investigate the effects of the evolutionary processes in the internal magnetic structure of two interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) detected in situ between 2020 November 29 and December 1 by Parker Solar Probe (PSP). The sources of the ICMEs were observed remotely at the Sun in EUV and subsequently tracked to their coronal counterparts in white light. This period is of particular interest to the community since it has been identified as the first widespread solar energetic particle event of Solar Cycle 25. The distribution of various solar and heliospheric-dedicated spacecraft th…
