Shock Waves from the Sun: Space Weather in 3D

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Eruptions from the Sun cause Aurora and are the drivers of space weather throughout the solar system.
Creating beautiful night time displays and interesting features in the atmospheres of outer planets
like Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus, space weather can also disrupt communications
on Earth and damage power grid equipment. But understanding space weather is complex and requires a 3 dimensional understanding of the magnetic structure of solar eruptions and how they propagate outwards. How is that done? By combining data from several spacecraft spread around Earth’s orbit and constructing 3D computer models a team of researchers is examining what happens when an ejection occurs and creates a shock wave. In particular, they are examining data from ESA/NASA’s Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)and the twin Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) satellites.
Join Tony Darnell and Carol Christian during Afternoon Astronomy Coffee on March 22 at 3PM Eastern time as they discuss with Angelos Vourlidas (Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab) and Ryun Young Kwan (George Mason University) how they visualize the Sun’s Coronal Mass Ejections and what significance such events have for solar system weather.
Solar Eruptions in 3D Press release:
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