Solar energetic particles (SEPs) accelerated from shocks driven by coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are one of the major causes of geomagnetic storms on Earth. Therefore, it is necessary to predict the occurrence and intensity of such disturbances. For this purpose we analyzed in detail 38 non-interacting halo and partial halo CMEs, as seen by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory /Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph (SOHO/LASCO), generating SEPs (in >10 MeV, >50 MeV, and >100 MeV energy channels) during the quadrature configuration of the Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO) twin spacecrafts with respect to the Earth, which marks the ascending phase of solar cycle 24 (i.e., 2009-2013). The main criteria for this selection period is to obtain height-time measurements of the CMEs without significant projection effects and in a very large field of view. Using the data from STEREO/Sun Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation (STEREO / SECCHI) images we determined several kinematic parameters and instantaneous speeds of the CMEs. First, we compare instantaneous CME speed and Mach number versus SEP fluxes for events originating at the western and eastern limb we observe high correlation for the western events and anticorrelation for the eastern events. Next we investigated instantaneous CME kinematic parameters such as maximum speed, maximum Mach number, and the CME speed and Mach number at SEP peak flux versus SEP peak fluxes. Highly positive correlation is observed for Mach number at SEP peak flux for all events. The obtained instantaneous Furthermore, we conducted estimates of delay in time and distance between CME, SEP, and shock parameters. Comparative studies of the considered energy channels of the SEPs also throw light on the reacceleration of suprathermal seed ions by CME-driven shocks that are pre-accelerated in the magnetic reconnection.
We present an algorithm to detect the outer edges of Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) events as seen in differences of Heliospheric Imager STEREO SECCHI HI-1 images from either A or B spacecraft, as well as its implementation in Python.
The STEREO mission has been providing stereoscopic view of filament eruptions in EUV. The clearest view during a filament eruption is seen in He II 304 A observations. One of the main problems visualizing filament dynamics in He II 304 A is the strong background contrast due to surface features. We present a technique that removes background features and leaves behind only the filamentary structure, as seen by STEREO-A and B. The technique uses a pair of STEREO He II 304 A images observed simultaneously. The STEREO-B image is geometrically transformed to STEREO-A view so that the background im…
We present stereoscopic reconstructions of the location and inclination of polar plumes of two data sets based on the two simultaneously recorded images taken by the EUVI telescopes in the SECCHI instrument package onboard the \emph{STEREO (Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory)} spacecraft. The ten plumes investigated show a superradial expansion in the coronal hole in 3D which is consistent with the 2D results. Their deviations from the local meridian planes are rather small with an average of $6.47^{\circ}$. By comparing the reconstructed plumes with a dipole field with its axis along the…
In this paper we present the first comprehensive statistical study of EUV coronal jets observed with the SECCHI imaging suites of the two STEREO spacecraft. A catalogue of 79 polar jets is presented, identified from simultaneous EUV and white-light coronagraph observations, taken during the time period March 2007 to April 2008. The appearances of the coronal jets were always correlated with underlying small-scale chromospheric bright points. A basic characterisation of the morphology and identification of the presence of helical structure were established with respect to recently proposed mode…
We investigate the initiation and formation of Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) via detailed two-viewpoint analysis of low corona observations of a relatively fast CME acquired by the SECCHI instruments aboard the STEREO mission. The event which occurred on January 2, 2008, was chosen because of several unique characteristics. It shows upward motions for at least four hours before the flare peak. Its speed and acceleration profiles exhibit a number of inflections which seem to have a direct counterpart in the GOES light curves. We detect and measure, in 3D, loops that collapse toward the erupting…
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 discuss how simultaneous observations by multiple heliospheric imagers can provide some important information about the azimuthal properties of Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) in the heliosphere. We propose two simple models of CME geometry that can be used to derive information about the azimuthal deflection and the azimuthal expansion of CMEs from SECCHI/HI observations. We apply these two models to four CMEs well-observed by both STEREO spacecraft during the year 2008. We find that in three cases, the joint STEREO-A and B observations are consistent with CMEs moving radially outward. In so…
The twin Sun Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation (SECCHI) COR2 coronagraphs of the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) provide images of the solar corona from two view points in the solar system. Since their launch in late 2006, the STEREO Ahead (A) and Behind (B) spacecrafts have been slowly separating from Earth at a rate of 22.5 degrees per year. By the end of 2007, the two spacecraft were separated by more than 40 degrees from each other. At this time, we began to see large-scale differences in the morphology and total intensity between coronal mass ejectio…
We present a three-dimensional reconstruction of an eruption that occurred on 3 April 2010 using observations from SWAP onboard PROBA2 and SECCHI onboard STEREO. The event unfolded in two parts: an initial flow of cooler material confined to low in the corona, followed by a flux rope eruption higher in the corona. We conclude that mass off-loading from the first part triggered a rise, and, subsequently, catastrophic loss of equilibrium of the flux rope.
The cluster formed by active regions (ARs) NOAA 11121 and 11123, approximately located on the solar central meridian on 11 November 2010, is of great scientific interest. This complex was the site of violent flux emergence and the source of a series of Earth-directed events on the same day. The onset of the events was nearly simultaneously observed by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) telescope aboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and the Extreme-Ultraviolet Imagers (EUVI) on the Sun-Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation (SECCHI) suite of telescopes onboard the So…
A filament eruption, accompanied by a B9.5 flare, coronal dimming and an EUV wave, was observed by the Solar TERrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) on 19 May 2007, beginning at about 13:00 UT. Here, we use observations from the SECCHI/EUVI telescopes and other solar observations to analyze the behavior and geometry of the filament before and during the eruption. At this time, STEREO A and B were separated by about 8.5 degrees, sufficient to determine the three-dimensional structure of the filament using stereoscopy. The filament could be followed in SECCHI/EUVI 304 A stereoscopic data from…
Ray-like features observed by coronagraphs in the wake of Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) are sometimes interpreted as the white light counterparts of current sheets (CSs) produced by the eruption. The 3D geometry of these ray-like features is largely unknown and its knowledge should clarify their association to the CS and place constraints on CME physics and coronal conditions. With this study we test these important implications for the first time. An example of such a post-CME ray was observed by various coronagraphs, including these of the SECCHI instrument suite of the STEREO twin spacecraf…
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…
Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are spectacular ejections of material from the Sun as seen in the coronal field of view. Regular observations are possible with both ground-based and space-based coronagraphs. I present our current understanding of CMEs based on multi-wavelength observations from groundbased instruments as well as from space missions such as SoHO. Based on the continuous and multi-wavelength observations of CMEs from SoHO over a period of more than a solar cycle, the physical properties of CMEs are described. Recent observations of CMEs with the SECCHI coronagraphs, namely COR1 an…
Aims. We analyze coronagraph observations of a polar jet observed by the Sun Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation (SECCHI) instrument suite onboard the Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO) spacecraft. Methods. In our analysis we compare the brightness distribution of the jet in white-light coronagraph images with a dedicated kinetic particle model. We obtain a consistent estimate of the time that the jet was launched from the solar surface and an approximate initial velocity distribution in the jet source. The method also allows us to check the consistency of the…
We have performed, for the first time, the successful automated detection of Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) in data from the inner heliospheric imager (HI-1) cameras on the STEREO A spacecraft. Detection of CMEs is done in time-height maps based on the application of the Hough transform, using a modified version of the CACTus software package, conventionally applied to coronagraph data. In this paper we describe the method of detection. We present the result of the application of the technique to a few CMEs that are well detected in the HI-1 imagery, and compare these results with those based o…
We present general considerations regarding the derivation of the radial distances of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) from elongation angle measurements such as those provided by SECCHI and SMEI, focusing on measurements in the Heliospheric Imager 2 (HI-2) field of view (i.e. past 0.3 AU). This study is based on a three-dimensional (3-D) magneto-hydrodynamics (MHD) simulation of two CMEs observed by SECCHI on January 24-27, 2007. Having a 3-D simulation with synthetic HI images, we are able to compare the two basic methods used to derive CME positions from elongation angles, the so-called "Point…
Recently, we developed the Correlation-Aided Reconstruction (CORAR) method to reconstruct solar wind inhomogeneous structures, or transients, using dual-view white-light images (Li et al. 2020; Li et al. 2018). This method is proved to be useful for studying the morphological and dynamical properties of transients like blobs and coronal mass ejection (CME), but the accuracy of reconstruction may be affected by the separation angle between the two spacecraft (Lyu et al. 2020). Based on the dual-view CME events from the Heliospheric Imager CME Join Catalogue (HIJoinCAT) in the HELCATS (Heliosphe…
We examine the propagation of several CMEs with well-observed flux rope signatures in the field of view of the SECCHI coronagraphs aboard the STEREO satellites using the GCS fitting method of Thernisien, Vourlidas \& Howard (2009). We find that the manner in which they propagate is approximately self-similar; i.e., the ratio ($κ$) of the flux rope minor radius to its major radius remains approximately constant with time. We use this observation of self-similarity to draw conclusions regarding the local pitch angle ($γ$) of the flux rope magnetic field and the misalignment angle ($χ$) between t…
We present an analysis of small-scale, periodic, solar-wind density enhancements (length-scales as small as \approx 1000 Mm) observed in images from the Heliospheric Imager (HI) aboard STEREO A. We discuss their possible relationship to periodic fluctuations of the proton density that have been identified at 1 AU using in-situ plasma measurements. Specifically, Viall, Kepko, and Spence (2008) examined 11 years of in-situ solar-wind density measurements at 1 AU and demonstrated that not only turbulent structures, but also non-turbulent periodic density structures exist in the solar wind with sc…
We studied the kinematic evolution of the 8 October 2007 CME in the corona based on Sun-Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation (SECCHI) onboard satellite B of Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO). The observational results show that this CME obviously deflected to a lower latitude region for about 30$^\circ$ at the beginning. After this, the CME propagated radially. We also analyze the influence of the background magnetic field on the deflection of this CME. We find that the deflection of this CME at an early stage may be caused by the nonuniform distribution of th…
Studying CMEs in coronagraph data can be challenging due to their diffuse structure and transient nature, and user-specific biases may be introduced through visual inspection of the images. The large amount of data available from the SOHO, STEREO, and future coronagraph missions, also makes manual cataloguing of CMEs tedious, and so a robust method of detection and analysis is required. This has led to the development of automated CME detection and cata- loguing packages such as CACTus, SEEDS and ARTEMIS. Here we present the development of a new CORIMP (coronal image processing) CME detection …
Context: Late on 2013 August 19, a coronal mass ejection (CME) erupted from an active region located near the far-side central meridian from Earth's perspective. The event and its accompanying shock were remotely observed by the STEREO-A, STEREO-B and SOHO spacecraft. The interplanetary counterpart (ICME) was intercepted by MESSENGER near 0.3 au, and by both STEREO-A and STEREO-B, near 1 au, which were separated by 78° in heliolongitude. The main objective of this study is to follow the radial and longitudinal evolution of the ICME throughout the inner heliosphere, and to examine possible scen…
Understanding coronal mass ejection (CME) energetics and dynamics has been a long-standing problem, and although previous observational estimates have been made, such studies have been hindered by large uncertainties in CME mass. Here, the two vantage points of the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) COR1 and COR2 coronagraphs were used to accurately estimate the mass of the 2008 December 12 CME. Acceleration estimates derived from the position of the CME front in 3-D were combined with the mass estimates to calculate the magnitude of the kinetic energy and driving force at differ…
A three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of the 2007, May 20 partial-halo Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) has been made using STEREO/EUVI and STEREO/COR1 coronagraphic images. The trajectory and kinematics of the erupting filament have been derived from EUVI image pairs with the "tie-pointing" triangulation technique, while the polarization ratio technique has been applied to COR1 data to determine the average position and depth of the CME front along the line of sight. These 3D geometrical information have been combined for the first time with spectroscopic measurements of the OVI $λλ$1031.91, 103…
We employ a three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction technique, for the first time to study the kinematics of six coronal mass ejections (CMEs), using images obtained from the COR1 and COR2 coronagraphs on board the twin STEREO spacecraft, as also the eruptive prominences (EPs) associated with three of them using images from the Extreme UltraViolet Imager (EUVI). A feature in the EPs and leading edges (LEs) of all the CMEs was identified and tracked in images from the two spacecraft, and a stereoscopic reconstruction technique was used to determine the 3D coordinates of these features. True veloc…
Our study attempts to understand the collision characteristics of two coronal mass ejections (CMEs) launched successively from the Sun on 2013 October 25. The estimated kinematics, from three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction techniques applied to observations of CMEs by SECCHI/Coronagraphic (COR) and Heliospheric Imagers (HIs), reveal their collision around 37 $R_\sun$ from the Sun. In the analysis, we take into account the propagation and expansion speeds, impact direction, angular size as well as the masses of the CMEs. These parameters are derived from imaging observations, but may suffer fr…
A study of the kinematics and arrival times of CMEs at Earth, derived from time-elongation maps (J-maps) constructed from STEREO/Heliospheric Imager (HI) observations, provides an opportunity to understand the heliospheric evolution of CMEs in general. We implement various reconstruction techniques, based on the use of time-elongation profiles of propagating CMEs viewed from single or multiple vantage points, to estimate the dynamics of three geo-effective CMEs. We use the kinematic properties, derived from analysis of the elongation profiles, as inputs to the Drag Based Model for the distance…
In white-light coronagraph images, cool prominence material is sometimes observed as bright patches in the core of coronal mass ejections (CMEs). If, as generally assumed, this emission is caused by Thomson-scattered light from the solar surface, it should be strongly polarised tangentially to the solar limb. However, the observations of a CME made with the SECCHI/STEREO coronagraphs on 31 August 2007 show that the emission from these bright core patches is exceptionally low polarised. We used the polarisation ratio method of Moran and Davila (2004) to localise the barycentre of the CME cloud.…
Stealth coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are events in which there are almost no observable signatures of the CME eruption in the low corona but often a well-resolved slow flux rope CME observed in the coronagraph data. We present results from a three-dimensional numerical magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) simulation of the 1--2 June 2008 slow streamer blowout CME that Robbrecht et al. (2009) called "the CME from nowhere." We model the global coronal structure using a 1.4 MK isothermal solar wind and a low-order potential field source surface representation of the Carrington Rotation 2070 magnetogram sy…
We have studied two Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) that occurred on September 25 and 28, 2012 and interacted near the Earth. By fitting the Graduated Cylindrical Shell (GCS) model on the SECCHI/COR2 images and applying the Stereoscopic Self-Similar Expansion (SSSE) method on the SECCHI/HI images, the initial direction of both the CMEs is estimated to be west of the Sun-Earth line. Further, the three-dimensional (3D) heliospheric kinematics of these CMEs have been estimated using Self-Similar Expansion (SSE) reconstruction method. We show that use of SSE method with different values of angular e…
In this paper, we analyze the full evolution, from a few days prior to the eruption to the initiation, and the final acceleration and propagation, of the CME that occurred on 2008 April 26 using the unprecedented high cadence and multi-wavelength observations by STEREO. There existed frequent filament activities and EUV jets prior to the CME eruption for a few days. These activities were probably caused by the magnetic reconnection in the lower atmosphere driven by photospheric convergence motions, which were evident in the sequence of magnetogram images from MDI (Michelson Doppler Imager) onb…
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 …
We present our results on the correlation of non-interacting coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and solar energetic particles (SEPs). A statistical analysis was conducted on 25 SEP events and the associated CME and flare during the ascending phase of solar cycle 24, i.e., 2009-2013, which marks the quadrature configuration of Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO). The complete kinematics of CMEs is well studied near this configuration of STEREO. In addition, we have made comparison studies of STEREO and SOlar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) results. It is well known that the CME spee…
We present an application of the stereoscopic self-similar-expansion model (SSSEM) to Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO)/Sun-Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation (SECCHI) observations of the 03 April 2010 CME and its associated shock. The aim is to verify whether CME-driven shock parameters can be inferred from the analysis of j-maps. For this purpose we use the SSSEM to derive the CME and the shock kinematics. Arrival times and speeds, inferred assuming either propagation at constant speed or with uniform deceleration, show good agreement with Advanced Composi…
In this paper, we use coronal and heliospheric images from the STEREO spacecraft to track streamer blobs into the heliosphere and to observe them being swept up and compressed by the fast wind from low-latitude coronal holes. From an analysis of their elongation/time tracks, we discover a 'locus of enhanced visibility' where neighboring blobs pass each other along the line of sight and their corotating spiral is seen edge on. The detailed shape of this locus accounts for a variety of east-west asymmetries and allows us to recognize the spiral of blobs by its signatures in the STEREO images: In…
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…
Context: On 26-27 January 2020, the wide-field imager WISPR on Parker Solar Probe (PSP) observed a coronal mass ejection (CME) from a distance of approximately 30 solar radii as it passed through the instrument's 95 degree field-of-view, providing an unprecedented view of the flux rope morphology of the CME's internal structure. The same CME was seen by STEREO, beginning on 25 January. Aims: Our goal was to understand the origin and determine the trajectory of this CME. Methods: We analyzed data from three well-placed spacecraft: Parker Solar Probe (PSP), Solar Terrestrial Relations Observator…
We identify coronal mass ejections (CMEs) associated with magnetic clouds (MCs) observed near Earth by the Wind spacecraft from 2008 to mid-2012, a time period when the two STEREO spacecraft were well positioned to study Earth-directed CMEs. We find 31 out of 48 Wind MCs during this period can be clearly connected with a CME that is trackable in STEREO imagery all the way from the Sun to near 1 AU. For these events, we perform full 3-D reconstructions of the CME structure and kinematics, assuming a flux rope morphology for the CME shape, considering the full complement of STEREO and SOHO imagi…
We present a new method to reconstruct the three-dimensional electron density of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) based on a genetic algorithm, namely the genetic reconstruction method (GRM). GRM is first applied to model CMEs with different orientations and shapes. A set of analytic model CMEs from Gibson and Low is employed to produce synthetic CME images for GRM reconstruction. Model CMEs with longitudes of 0, 45, 90, 135, 180 degrees and latitudes of 0, 15, 30, 45 degrees are used to test the performance of GRM. The model CMEs are obscured with a simulated occulter of a coronagraph to determi…
The diffuse morphology and transient nature of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) make them difficult to identify and track using traditional image processing techniques. We apply multiscale methods to enhance the visibility of the faint CME front. This enables an ellipse characterisation to objectively study the changing morphology and kinematics of a sample of events imaged by the Large Angle Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO) onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) and the Sun Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation (SECCHI) onboard the Solar Terrestrial Relations Ob…
In this paper, a generic self-similar flux rope model is proposed to probe the internal state of CMEs in order to understand the thermodynamic process and expansion of CMEs in interplanetary space. Using this model, three physical parameters and their variations with heliocentric distance can be inferred based on coronagraph observations of CMEs' propagation and expansion. One is the polytropic index $Γ$ of the CME plasma, and the other two are the average Lorentz force and the thermal pressure force inside CMEs. By applying the model to the 2007 October 8 CME observed by STEREO/SECCHI, we fin…
We study the interaction of two successive coronal mass ejections (CMEs) during the 2010 August 1 events using STEREO/SECCHI COR and HI data. We obtain the direction of motion for both CMEs by applying several independent reconstruction methods and find that the CMEs head in similar directions. This provides evidence that a full interaction takes place between the two CMEs that can be observed in the HI1 field-of-view. The full de-projected kinematics of the faster CME from Sun to Earth is derived by combining remote observations with in situ measurements of the CME at 1 AU. The speed profile …
We present a hybrid combination of forward and inverse reconstruction methods using multiple observations of a coronal mass ejection (CME) to derive the 3D 'true' Height-Time plots for individual CME components. We apply this hybrid method to the components of the 31 Dec 2007 CME. This CME, observed clearly in both the STEREO A and STEREO B COR2 white light coronagraphs, evolves asymmetrically across the 15 solar radius field of view with in a span of three hours. The method has two reconstruction steps. We fit a boundary envelope for the potential 3D CME shape using a flux rope-type model ori…
Using data from the Heliospheric Imagers (HIs) onboard STEREO, it is possible to derive the direction of propagation of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) in addition to their speed with a variety of methods. For CMEs observed by both STEREO spacecraft, it is possible to derive their direction using simultaneous observations from the twin spacecraft and also, using observations from only one spacecraft with fitting methods. This makes it possible to test and compare different analyses techniques. In this article, we propose a new fitting method based on observations from one spacecraft, which we co…
We describe a geometric triangulation technique, based on time-elongation maps constructed from imaging observations, to track coronal mass ejections (CMEs) continuously in the heliosphere and predict their impact on the Earth. Taking advantage of stereoscopic imaging observations from STEREO, this technique can determine the propagation direction and radial distance of CMEs from their birth in the corona all the way to 1 AU. The efficacy of the method is demonstrated by its application to the 2008 December 12 CME, which manifests as a magnetic cloud (MC) from in situ measurements at the Earth…
Owing to our dependance on spaceborne technology, an awareness of disturbances in the near-Earth space environment is proving to be increasingly crucial. Earth-directed Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) emanating from the Sun are the primary drivers of space weather disturbances. Studies of CMEs, their kinematics, and their near-Earth effects are therefore gaining in importance. The effect of CMEs near the Earth is often manifested as transient decreases in galactic cosmic ray intensity, which are called Forbush decreases (FDs). In this thesis we probe the structure of CMEs and their associated sh…
We report the result of the first search for multipoint in situ and imaging observations of interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) starting with the first Solar Orbiter (SolO) data in 2020 April - 2021 April. A data exploration analysis is performed including visualizations of the magnetic field and plasma observations made by the five spacecraft SolO, BepiColombo, Parker Solar Probe (PSP), Wind and STEREO-A, in connection with coronagraph and heliospheric imaging observations from STEREO-A/SECCHI and SOHO/LASCO. We identify ICME events that could be unambiguously followed with the STER…
We examine 188 coronal mass ejections (CMEs) measured by the twin STEREO spacecraft during 2007-2016 to investigate the generic features of the CME sheath and the magnetic ejecta (ME) and dependencies of average physical parameters of the sheath on the ME. We classify the MEs into three categories, focusing on whether a ME drives both a shock and sheath, or only a sheath, or neither, near 1 AU. We also reevaluate our initial classification through an automated algorithm and visual inspection. We observe that even for leading edge speeds greater than 500 km/s, 1 out of 4 MEs do not drive shocks…
A goal of the NASA STEREO mission is to study the feasibility of forecasting the direction, arrival time and internal structure of solar coronal mass ejections (CMEs) from a vantage point outside the Sun-Earth line. Through a case study, we discuss the arrival time calculation of interplanetary CMEs (ICMEs) in the ecliptic plane using data from STEREO/SECCHI at large elongations from the Sun in combination with different geometric assumptions about the ICME front shape (Fixed-Φ(FP): a point and harmonic Mean (HM): a circle). These forecasting techniques use single-spacecraft imaging data and a…
We present a comprehensive statistical analysis of 106 sheath regions driven by coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and measured near 1 AU. Using data from the STEREO probes, this extended analysis focuses on two discrete categorizations. In the first categorization, we investigate how the generic features of sheaths change with their potential formation mechanisms (propagation and expansion sheaths), namely, their associations with magnetic ejectas (MEs) which are primarily expanding or propagating in the solar wind. We find propagation sheaths to be denser and driven by stronger MEs, whereas expan…
The different appearances exhibited by coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are believed to be in part the result of different orientations of their main axis of symmetry, consistent with a flux-rope configuration. There are observational reports of CMEs seen along their main axis (axial perspective) and perpendicular to it (lateral perspective), but no simultaneous observations of both perspectives from the same CME have been reported to date. The stereoscopic views of the telescopes onboard the $Solar$-$Terrestrial$ $Relations$ $Observatory$ (STEREO) twin spacecraft, in combination with the views f…
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 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, …
Suprathermal ions in the corona are thought to serve as seed particles for large gradual solar energetic particle (SEP) events associated with fast and wide coronal mass ejections (CMEs). A better understanding of the role of suprathermal particles as seed populations for SEP events can be made by using observations close to the Sun. We study a series of SEP events observed by the Integrated Science Investigation of the Sun (IS$\odot$IS) suite on board the Parker Solar Probe (PSP) from 2020 May 27 to June 2, during which PSP was at heliocentric distances between $\sim$0.4 and $\sim$0.2 au. The…
We present multi-point in situ observations of a complex sequence of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) which may serve as a benchmark event for numerical and empirical space weather prediction models. On 2010 August 1, instruments on various space missions (Solar Dynamics Observatory/ Solar and Heliospheric Observatory/Solar-TErrestrial-RElations-Observatory) monitored several CMEs originating within tens of degrees from solar disk center. We compare their imprints on four widely separated locations, spanning 120 degree in heliospheric longitude, with radial distances from the Sun ranging from MES…
The solar wind transients propagating out in the inner heliosphere can be observed in white-light images from Heliospheric Imager-1 (HI1), an instrument of the Sun Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation (SECCHI) on board the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO), from two perspectives. The spatial velocity distribution inside solar wind transients is key to understanding their dynamic evolution processes. We generated a velocity map of transients in 3D space based on 2D white-light images and used it to estimate the expansion rate as well as some kinematic propertie…
