Nonetheless, spacecraft orbiting Earth detected SEPs from the eruption starting at midnight on March 12, meaning the CME was powerful enough to set off a broad cascade of collisions that managed to reach our side of the Sun.
Though SEPs are commonly observed after Earth-facing solar eruptions, they are less common for eruptions on the far side of the Sun. Known as solar energetic particles, or SEPs, these speedy particles can make the 93-million-mile journey from the Sun to Earth in around 30 minutes. As CMEs blast through space, they create a shockwave that can accelerate particles along the CME’s path to incredible speeds, much the way surfers are pushed along by an incoming ocean wave. Credit: NASA/ESA/SOHOĮven though the CME erupted from the opposite side of the Sun, its impacts were felt at Earth. View of the CME from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). The bright dot on the lower right side of the image is Mercury.
In SOHO’s view, the Sun’s bright surface is blocked to reveal the much fainter solar atmosphere and erupting solar material around it. SOHO observes the Sun from a location about 1 million miles closer to the Sun along the Sun-Earth line. This expanding ring is apparent in the view from NASA/ESA’s Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, or SOHO, spacecraft shown below. Halo CMEs depend on the observer’s position, occurring when the solar eruption is aligned either directly toward Earth, or as in this case, directly away from Earth. The eruption is known as a halo CME because it appears to spread out evenly from the Sun in a halo, or ring, around the Sun.
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The scientists and engineers are awaiting the next data download from the spacecraft, which will occur after the close approach, to learn more about this CME event and any potential impacts. On March 13, the spacecraft sent a green beacon tone showing the spacecraft is in its nominal operational mode. The spacecraft is currently nearing its 15 th closest approach of the Sun (or perihelion), flying within 5.3 million miles (8.5 million kilometers) of the Sun on March 17. The eruption is likely to have hit NASA’s Parker Solar Probe head-on. Earth is a yellow circle located at the 3 o’clock position. Each category is ten times stronger than the previous one, meaning an M-class flare is ten times more powerful than a C-class flare, and an X-class flare is ten times more powerful than an M-class flare.Ī simulation of the CME shows the blast erupting from the Sun (located at the middle of the central white dot) and passing over Mercury (orange dot). There are three categories: C-class flares are the weakest, M-class flares are of medium strength, and X-class flares are the most powerful. Solar flares are classified based on their X-ray energy output, measured in watts per square meter (W/m²) at the Earth’s orbit. This active region was on the Earth-facing side of the Sun from late February through early March, when it unleashed fifteen moderately intense M-class flares and one powerful X-class flare. While resarchers are still gathering data to determine the source of the eruption, it is currently believed that the CME came from former active region AR3234. The CME erupted from the side of the Sun opposite Earth.
Credit: NASA GSFC/CIL/Brian MonroeĪ massive eruption of solar material, known as a coronal mass ejection or CME, was detected escaping from the Sun at 11:36 p.m. This is allowing us to see the Sun as never before, and helping scientists answer fundamental questions about the Sun. Launched in 2018 to study the Sun’s biggest mysteries, the spacecraft has close-up observations of our star. This artist’s animation shows the spacecraft as it officially touched the Sun. The Italian plea for assistance from its NATO ally comes as the Russian military has made a very public effort to provide the Italians with assistance, using military aircraft to fly in medical personnel and equipment.A powerful solar eruption is likely to have hit NASA’s Parker Solar Probe head-on. The military has activated units capable of constructing field hospitals to help relieve the burden on civilian hospitals. The Italian government has requested that US military personnel stationed in Italy assist Italian authorities by providing medical personnel and field hospitals in support of Italian troops already responding to the crisis there.Įsper recently made the Defense Department’s stockpile of masks and ventilators available to civilian hospitals in the US to help respond to the pandemic. Specifically, Italy's defense minister has asked Esper for critical medical equipment like masks and ventilators as Italy has nearly 60,000 confirmed cases and has had more than 5,000 deaths. The government of Italy has made a direct appeal to Defense Secretary Mark Esper for US military aid in combating coronavirus, according to a US defense official.
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