Space Weather

Solar Images

Mix 193A 131A 171A 211A 304A Corona Magnetogram

211 + 193 + 171

The Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) provides multiple simultaneous high-resolution full-disk images of the corona and transition region. SDO/AIA allows us to image the solar plasmas with the temperature range of 0.05-2 MK. The composite image «211 + 193 + 171» consists of three images taken at three different wavelengths centered at 211, 193 and 171Å. For composite images, the wavelengths are listed in order of the red, green, and blue display channels. Each image shows the date and time it was taken; image composites show three date-time sets, color-coded by the associated display channel.

193 A

Description

The image obtained from SDO/AIA at wavelengths centered at 193Å. The 193 Å channel is dominated by ions Fe XII (T~1.6 MK ) and ions Fe XXIV (T~20MK). This bandpass is optimized to study outer solar atmosphere (corona): hot active regions, solar flare, coronal holes.

131 A

Description

The image obtained from SDO/AIA at wavelengths centered at 131Å. The 131Å cannel includes several emission lines and its predicted temperature sensitivity is bimodal. The cooler peak (Fe VIII emission) is centered near ~ 0.4 MK. The hotter peak is centered near 10 МК is composed of Fe XXI line. This cannel is optimized to study solar flare.

171 A

Description

The image obtained from SDO/AIA at wavelengths centered at 171Å. The 171Å cannel is centered over a blend of Fe IX and Fe X emission which is strongest at a temperature of 1 MK. This cannel is good to study upper transition region, quiet corona and coronal loops (magnetic arcs).

211 A

Description

The 211Å cannel is centered on a Fe XIV transition at 211.3Å. In terms of ionization equilibrium, FeXIV reaches a peak ionization at 2 MK. This cannel is optimized to study solar corona.

304 A

Description

The image obtained from SDO/AIA at wavelengths centered at 304Å. The 304Å channel is dominated by the ions He II (T ~ 0.05-1 МК). This temperature range corresponds to the plasma of chromosphere and transition region.

Corona

Description

The Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO) instrument is one of 11 instruments included on the joint NASA/ESA SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) spacecraft. The LASCO instrument is a set of three coronagraphs that image the solar corona from 1.1 to 32 solar radii. It is convenient to measure distances in terms of solar radii. One solar radius is about 700,000 km, 420,000 miles or 16 arc minutes. A coronagraph is a telescope that is designed to block light coming from the solar disk, in order to see the extremely faint emission from the region around the sun, called the corona.

Magnetogram

Description

HMI (Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager) is an instrument designed to study oscillations and the magnetic field at the solar surface, or photosphere. HMI is one of three instruments on the Solar Dynamics Observatory; together, the suite of instruments observes the Sun nearly continuously and takes a terabyte of data a day. HMI observes the full solar disk at 6173Å with a resolution of 1 arcsecond.

Solar images are courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA science teams.

Solar X-rays

Description

The soft X-ray flux of the Sun (average hourly values) recorded in a geostationary orbit aboard the GOES-15 spacecraft in two energy channels. The main purpose of the measurements is to register flares on the sun.

Solar Wind on the ACE Orbit

Description

The velocity and density of the solar wind, the components of the vector of interplanetary magnetic fields measured by instruments on ACE ACC SWEPAM and EPAM at the libration point L1. Gives ability to follow high-speed solar wind flows to the libration point and coronal mass ejection.

Particles

Description

Particle flux variations at the Lagrange (L1) point measured by the ACE satellite and at geostationary Earth orbit measured by GOES and Electro-L satellite series.

Magnetospheric Conditions

Description

Geomagnetic disturbance indices Kp and Dst

Current Coronal Holes Location

SDO/AIA 193A; Date:
The relative area of the coronal holes is

Description

It is well known that there is a remarkable connection between the passage of the low latitude coronal holes (CH) across the solar disk and the recurrent high-speed solar wind streams recorded in Earth orbit. The CHs are normally identified as regions of unipolar magnetic field, which appear as regions of decreased intensity in the ultraviolet and X-ray solar images owing to low plasma density. In order to forecast the solar wind streams, we used the values of the relative areas of the CHs which are calculated by normalizing the absolute areas to the size of the solar disk without a limb. Algorithm of CH parameters calculation is based on the classification of image points according to threshold intensity.

Coronal Holes Size and Solar wind velocity forecast

Solar Wind Dynamic Pressure on the Earth's Orbit and Magnetopause Standoff Distance

Description

The form and the location of the magnetospheric boundary are defined by pressure balance of the solar wind and geomagnetic field. Parameters of the interplanetary environment are subject to the considerable changes connected with active processes on the Sun. It leads to changes of the magnetospheric spatial dimensions, in particular, to stand-off distance fluctuations. Being under continuous influence of the solar wind, the magnetosphere of Earth reflects the variations of parameters of the interplanetary environment.