Solar Sail Probe to Detect Space Tornadoes Sooner
News Context
At a glance
- This article discusses research into the formation and impact of flux ropes - tornado-like spirals of plasma and magnetic field within the solar wind - and how a...
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solar Wind & Geomagnetic Storms
Table of Contents
This article discusses research into the formation and impact of flux ropes – tornado-like spirals of plasma and magnetic field within the solar wind – and how a constellation of spacecraft, including a solar sail probe, could improve our ability to predict and mitigate geomagnetic storms.
Key Findings
- Spirals of solar wind (flux ropes) can disrupt Earth’s magnetic field.
- Current warning systems struggle to detect these features.
- Computer simulations reveal how these flux ropes form from coronal mass ejections.
- The magnetic field within these vortices can be strong enough to trigger geomagnetic storms.
- A geomagnetic storm in May 2024 caused disruptions to power grids, satellites, airplanes, and agricultural equipment (costing farms an average of $17,000 in damages).
- The study was funded by NASA and the National Science foundation.
Flux Rope Characteristics
| feature | Size | Formation |
|---|---|---|
| Flux Ropes | 3,000 – 6 million miles wide | Form from coronal mass ejections driving through slower solar wind, like a snowplow. can also form during collisions with neighboring streams of fast and slow solar wind. |
| Coronal Mass Ejections (cmes) | Average 34 million miles wide | Eruptions at the sun creating dense, fast-moving clouds of plasma. |
- solar Wind: A bubble of plasma flowing outward from the sun.
- Geomagnetic Storm: Triggered by magnetic fields in the solar wind.
- Coronal Mass Ejection (CME): A large expulsion of plasma and magnetic field from the sun.
Source
The research is published in the Astrophysical Journal.