Tag: space weather

NASA’s Heliophysics Experiment to Study Sun on European Mission

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The Joint EUV coronal Diagnostic Investigation (JEDI) will fly aboard the European Space Agency’s Vigil space weather mission and capture new views that will help researchers connect features on the Sun’s surface to those in the Sun’s outer atmosphere, the corona. Credits: NASA NASA announced Tuesday it selected a new instrument to study the Sun and how it creates massive solar eruptions. The agency’s Joint EUV coronal Diagnostic Investigation, or JEDI, will capture images of the Sun in extreme ultraviolet light, a type of light invisible to our eyes but…

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Scientists Pursue the Total Solar Eclipse with NASA Jet Planes

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5 min read Scientists Pursue the Total Solar Eclipse with NASA Jet Planes The April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse will produce stunning views across North America. While anyone along the eclipse path with a clear sky will see the spectacular event, the best view might be 50,000 feet in the air, aboard NASA’s WB-57 jet planes. That’s where a trio of NASA-funded teams are sending their scientific instruments to take measurements of the eclipse. Two teams will image the Sun’s outer atmosphere – the corona – and a third…

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NASA Signs Memorandum of Agreement for Space Weather

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Nicola Fox, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (left), signs the Memorandum of Agreement for Space Weather alongside Ken Graham, assistant administrator for NOAA’s Weather Services (right). This quad-agency agreement will further research and operations of space weather to improve space weather predictions and preparedness while also mitigating its impacts. NOAA / Robert Hyatt On Dec. 7, 2023, Nicola Fox, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, signed on behalf of the agency the Memorandum of Agreement for Space Weather Research-To-Operations-To-Research Collaboration. This quad-agency agreement is between NASA, the…

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What is STEVE, and how is it different from the aurora?

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The aurora might be the most famous atmospheric phenomenon in our night sky, but it certainly isn’t the only one. If you’ve not yet been introduced, we’d love you to meet STEVE.  STEVE — Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement —  is an aurora-like glow that often accompanies the northern lights, yet is a distinct phenomenon, according to the American Geophysical Union (AGU). STEVE was discovered between 2015 and 2016, not by professional astronomers or physicists, but by citizen scientists in Canada chasing the aurora, according to the first study published…

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‘Potentially catastrophic’ solar storm identified in ancient tree rings

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Earth was hit by the largest-ever detected solar storm 14,300 years ago, ancient tree rings reveal. If a storm of a similar magnitude hit our planet today, it could have potentially catastrophic effects on our modern technological society. The powerful solar storm was identified by an international team of scientists studying ancient tree rings preserved in the eroded banks of the Drouzet River, near Gap, in the Southern French Alps.  Related: Yes, solar storms are increasing, but don’t lose sleep over an ‘internet apocalypse.’   By studying ancient tree rings,…

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Annular solar eclipse 2023: Live updates

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Refresh 2023-10-06T15:59:38.220Z Ring of fire solar eclipse of 2023 is one week away! The path of annularity crossing the U.S. on October 14, 2023. (Image credit: NASA Scientific Visualization Studio) The stage is set for one of the greatest sun events of 2023, if not the greatest skywatching event of the year!  We are officially one week away from the annular solar eclipse of Oct. 14 and is one that could potentially be visible to millions of people across the United States. While not a total solar eclipse, the annular…

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