Sun Earth Connection Coronal And Heliospheric Investigation Research Articles

SoloHI observations of coronal mass ejections observed by multiple spacecraft

Context. The Solar Orbiter Heliospheric Imager (SoloHI) instrument of the Solar Orbiter mission is a next-generation heliospheric imager. New observations from SoloHI demonstrate the improved spatial and temporal resolution compared to previous observations of the heliosphere and corona. At perihelion, the field of view (FoV) of SoloHI covers the transition between the coronagraph (COR2) and heliospheric imager (HI1) Sun-Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation (SECCHI) suite. In this paper, we focus on an active solar period following the first Solar Orbiter science perihelion that resulted in a number of well-observed large coronal mass ejections (CMEs) in SoloHI data in March and April 2022. Specifically, we highlight a series of events produced by AR12795 between 28 March and 2 April and show overlapping observations with SECCHI/COR2 and HI1 and LASCO/C3. Aims. We compare the performance of the SoloHI instrument against similar observations from 1 au imagers. We describe CME observations, highlighting the unique structural features captured within the SoloHI FoV. These observations demonstrate that SoloHI will provide new insights into CME morphology and evolution from a unique vantage point. Methods. To provide a direct and relevant comparison, images from all the telescopes we used in the paper are presented in FoVs common to each and with minimal processing applied. The J-maps we used to highlight outflowing features are also presented to show that the CME kinematics can be tracked through the SoloHI FoV, and also to report how the rest of the Heliophysics Systems Observatory (HSO) can be used to support the SoloHI data. Results. The high-resolution SoloHI images of these eruptions, taken from ∼0.3 au, reveal a number of detailed structural CME features, including internal cavities or cores of the CME flux rope(s). They also show the surrounding material and associated sheath region of the compressed upstream solar wind plasma. Many features that could not have been observed by other instruments are highlighted and discussed. Conclusions. The SoloHI instrument is performing well and has already provided detailed observations of CMEs that can help us understand the details of the internal structure and magnetic field of CMEs. These new observations in combination with synoptic observations from 1 au offer new opportunities for CME propagation from the corona to the heliosphere.

Prominence instability and CMEs triggered by massive coronal rain in the solar atmosphere

Context. The triggering process for prominence instability and consequent coronal mass ejections (CMEs) is not fully understood. Prominences are maintained by the Lorentz force against the gravity; therefore, reduction of the prominence mass due to the coronal rain may cause the change of the force balance and hence destabilisation of the structures. Aims. We aim to study the observational evidence of the influence of coronal rain on the stability of prominence and subsequent eruption of CMEs. Methods. We used the simultaneous observations from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) of Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and Sun Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation (SECHHI) of Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) spacecrafts from different angles to follow the dynamics of prominence and to study the role of coronal rain in their destabilisation. Results. Three different prominences observed during the years 2011–2012 were analysed using observations acquired by SDO and STEREO. In all three cases, massive coronal rain from the prominence body led to the destabilisation of prominence and subsequently to the eruption of CMEs. The upward rising of prominences consisted of the slow and fast rise phases. The coronal rain triggered the initial slow rise of prominences, which led to the final instability (the fast rise phase) after 18–28 h in all cases. The estimated mass flux carried by coronal rain blobs showed that the prominences became unstable after 40% of mass loss. Conclusions. We suggest that the initial slow rise phase was triggered by the mass loss of prominence due to massive coronal rain, while the fast rise phase (the consequent instability of prominences) was caused by the torus instability and/or magnetic reconnection with the overlying coronal field. Therefore, the coronal rain triggered the instability of prominences and consequent CMEs. If this is the case, then the coronal rain can be used to predict the CMEs and hence to improve the space weather predictions.

Development of a Fast CME and Properties of a Related Interplanetary Transient

We study the development of a coronal mass ejection (CME) caused by a prominence eruption on 24 February 2011 and properties of a related interplanetary CME (ICME). The prominence destabilized, accelerated, and produced an M3.5 flare, a fast CME, and a shock wave. The eruption at the east limb was observed in quadrature by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and by the Sun Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation (SECCHI) instrument suite on board the Solar-Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO). The ICME produced by the SOL2011-02-24 event was measured in situ on STEREO-B two days later. The diagnostics made from multi-wavelength SDO/AIA images reveals a pre-eruptive heating of the prominence to about 7 MK and its subsequent heating during the eruption by flare-accelerated particles to about 10 MK. The hot plasma was detected in the related ICME as an enhancement in the ionic charge state of Fe, whose evolution was reproduced in the modeling. The analysis of the solar source region allows for predicting the variations of magnetic components in the ICME, while the flux-rope rotation by about $40^{\circ }$ was indicated by observations. The magnetic-cloud propagation appears to be ballistic.

The 04 – 10 September 2017 Sun–Earth Connection Events: Solar Flares, Coronal Mass Ejections/Magnetic Clouds, and Geomagnetic Storms

In early September 2017, a series of solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) erupted from the Sun. The Cor2a coronagraph, a unit of the Sun Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation (SECCHI), onboard the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO)-A spacecraft recorded two Sun–Earth-directed CMEs on 4 September (referred to as CME04) and 6 September (referred to as CME06). A few days later, the Wind spacecraft ( ${\approx}\,212.4$ solar radii: $\mathrm{R}_{\odot}$ ) recorded two interplanetary shocks, presumably driven by CME04 and CME06, at ${\approx}\,22\mbox{:}41~\mbox{UT}$ on 06 September 2017 (referred to as Shock06) and at ${\approx}\,22\mbox{:}48~\mbox{UT}$ on 07 September 2017 (referred to as Shock07), respectively. The travel time of the CME04/Shock06 [ $\Delta t_{\text{shock-CME@18R}\odot}$ ] and CME06/Shock07 from $18~\mathrm{R}_{\odot}$ to the Wind spacecraft was 41.52 hours and 32.47 hours, respectively. The propagating speed [ $V_{\mathrm{CME}}$ ] of the CME04 and CME06 at ${\approx}\,18~\mathrm{R}_{\odot}$ was determined with SECCHI/Cor2a as ${\approx}\,886~\mbox{km}\,\mbox{s}^{-1}$ and ${\approx}\,1368~\mbox{km}\,\mbox{s}^{-1}$ , respectively. Assuming a constant velocity after $18~\mathrm{R}_{\odot }$ , the estimated $\Delta t_{\text{shock-CME@18R}\odot}$ is 42.45 and 27.5 hours for CME04 and CME06, respectively. This simple estimate of the CME propagation speed provides a satisfactory result for the CME04 event (error ${\approx}\,2.3\%$ ) but not for the CME06 event (error ${\approx}\,15.3\%$ ). The second event, CME06, was delayed further due to an interaction with the preceding event (CME04). It is suggested that the CME speed estimated near the Sun with coronagraph images can be a good estimator for the interplanetary CME (ICME) transit time when there is no pre-event. A three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulation is performed to address this issue by providing a panoramic view of the entire process not available from the observations. A southward interplanetary magnetic field [ $B_{\mathrm{s}}$ ] increased sharply to −31.6 nT on 7 September at Wind, followed by a severe geomagnetic storm ( $\mathrm{Dst} = -124~\mbox{nT}$ ). The sharp increase of the IMF [ $B_{\mathrm{s}}$ ] was a result of the interaction between Shock07 and the driver of Shock06 (CME04). This study suggests that a severe geomagnetic storm can be caused by the interaction between a MC, with an impinging IP shock from behind, and the Earth’s magnetosphere. The intensity of a geomagnetic storm will likely be stronger for an event associated with ICME–ICME interaction than for a geomagnetic event caused by only a single ICME.

Interplanetary and Geomagnetic Consequences of Interacting CMEs of 13 – 14 June 2012

We report on the kinematics of two interacting CMEs observed on 13 and 14 June 2012. Both CMEs originated from the same active region NOAA 11504. After their launches which were separated by several hours, they were observed to interact at a distance of 100 Rs from the Sun. The interaction led to a moderate geomagnetic storm at the Earth with Dst index of approximately, -86 nT. The kinematics of the two CMEs is estimated using data from the Sun Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation (SECCHI) onboard the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO). Assuming a head-on collision scenario, we find that the collision is inelastic in nature. Further, the signatures of their interaction are examined using the in situ observations obtained by Wind and the Advance Composition Explorer (ACE) spacecraft. It is also found that this interaction event led to the strongest sudden storm commencement (SSC) (approximately 150 nT) of the present Solar Cycle 24. The SSC was of long duration, approximately 20 hours. The role of interacting CMEs in enhancing the geoeffectiveness is examined.

Tracking CMEs using data from the Solar Stormwatch project; observing deflections and other properties

AbstractWith increasing technological dependence, society is becoming ever more affected by changes in the near‐Earth space environment caused by space weather. The primary driver of these hazards are coronal mass ejections (CMEs). Solar Stormwatch is a citizen science project in which volunteers participated in several activities which characterized CMEs in the remote sensing images from the Sun Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation (SECCHI) instrument package on the twin STEREO spacecraft. Here we analyze the results of the “Track‐it‐back” activity, in which CMEs were tracked back through the COR1, COR2, and EUVI images. Analysis of the COR1, COR2, and EUVI data together allows CMEs to be studied consistently throughout the whole field of view spanned by these instruments (out to 15 RS). A total of 4783 volunteers took part in this activity, creating a data set containing 23,801 estimates of CME timing, location, and size. We used these data to produce a catalogue of 41 CMEs, which is the first to consistently track CMEs through each of these instruments. We assess how the CME speeds, propagation directions, and widths vary as the CMEs propagate through the fields of view of the different imagers. In particular, we compare the observed CME deflections between the COR1 and COR2 fields of view to the separation between the CME source region and the heliospheric current sheet (HCS), demonstrating that in general, these CMEs appear to deflect toward the HCS, consistent with other modeling studies of CME propagation.

A Study of the Earth-Affecting CMEs of Solar Cycle 24

Using in situ observations from the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE), we have identified 70 Earth-affecting interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) in Solar Cycle 24. Because of the unprecedented extent of heliospheric observations in Cycle 24 that has been achieved thanks to the Sun Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation (SECCHI) instruments onboard the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO), we observe these events throughout the heliosphere from the Sun to the Earth, and we can relate these in situ signatures to remote sensing data. This allows us to completely track the event back to the source of the eruption in the low corona. We present a summary of the Earth-affecting CMEs in Solar Cycle 24 and a statistical study of the properties of these events including the source region. We examine the characteristics of CMEs that are more likely to be strongly geoeffective and examine the effect of the flare strength on in situ properties. We find that Earth-affecting CMEs in the first half of Cycle 24 are more likely to come from the northern hemisphere, but after April 2012, this reverses, and these events are more likely to originate in the southern hemisphere, following the observed magnetic asymmetry in the two hemispheres. We also find that as in past solar cycles, CMEs from the western hemisphere are more likely to reach Earth. We find that Cycle 24 lacks in events driving extreme geomagnetic storms compared to past solar cycles.

Comparing Automatic CME Detections in Multiple LASCO and SECCHI Catalogs

Abstract With the creation of numerous automatic detection algorithms, a number of different catalogs of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) spanning the entirety of the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) Large Angle Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO) mission have been created. Some of these catalogs have been further expanded for use on data from the Solar Terrestrial Earth Observatory (STEREO) Sun Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation (SECCHI) as well. We compare the results from different automatic detection catalogs (Solar Eruption Event Detection System (SEEDS), Computer Aided CME Tracking (CACTus), and Coronal Image Processing (CORIMP)) to ensure the consistency of detections in each. Over the entire span of the LASCO catalogs, the automatic catalogs are well correlated with one another, to a level greater than 0.88. Focusing on just periods of higher activity, these correlations remain above 0.7. We establish the difficulty in comparing detections over the course of LASCO observations due to the change in the instrument image cadence in 2010. Without adjusting catalogs for the cadence, CME detection rates show a large spike in cycle 24, despite a notable drop in other indices of solar activity. The output from SEEDS, using a consistent image cadence, shows that the CME rate has not significantly changed relative to sunspot number in cycle 24. These data, and mass calculations from CORIMP, lead us to conclude that any apparent increase in CME rate is a result of the change in cadence. We study detection characteristics of CMEs, discussing potential physical changes in events between cycles 23 and 24. We establish that, for detected CMEs, physical parameters can also be sensitive to the cadence.

The radial speed‐expansion speed relation for Earth‐directed CMEs

Earth-directed coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are the main drivers of major geomagnetic storms. Therefore, a good estimate of the disturbance arrival time at Earth is required for space weather predictions. The STEREO and SOHO spacecraft were viewing the Sun in near quadrature during January 2010 to September 2012, providing a unique opportunity to study the radial speed (V (sub rad)) to expansion speed(V (sub exp)) relationship of Earth-directed CMEs. This relationship is useful in estimating the V (sub rad) of Earth-directed CMEs, when they are observed from Earth view only. We selected 19 Earth-directed CMEs observed by the Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO)/C3 coronagraph on SOHO and the Sun Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation (SECCHI)/COR2 coronagraph on STEREO during January 2010 to September 2012. We found that of the three tested geometric CME models the full ice-cream cone model of the CME describes best the V (sub rad) to V (sub exp) relationship, as suggested by earlier investigations. We also tested the prediction accuracy of the empirical shock arrival (ESA) model proposed by Gopalswamy et al.(2005a), while estimating the CME propagation speeds from the CME expansion speeds. If we use STEREO observations to estimate the CME width required to calculate the V (sub rad) from the V (sub exp) measurements, the mean absolute error (MAE) of the shock arrival times of the ESA model is 8.4 hours. If the LASCO measurements are used to estimate the CME width, the MAE still remains below 17 hours. Therefore, by using the simple V (sub rad) to V (sub exp) relationship to estimate the V (sub rad) of the Earth-directed CMEs, the ESA model is able to predict the shock arrival times with accuracy comparable to most other more complex models.

Combining STEREO SECCHI COR2 and HI1 images for automatic CME front edge tracking

COR2 coronagraph images are the most commonly used data for coronal mass ejection (CME) analysis among the various types of data provided by the STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) SECCHI (Sun-Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation) suite of instruments. The field of view (FOV) in COR2 images covers 2–15 solar radii (Rs) that allow for tracking the front edge of a CME in its initial stage to forecast the lead-time of a CME and its chances of reaching the Earth. However, estimating the lead-time of a CME using COR2 images gives a larger lead-time, which may be associated with greater uncertainty. To reduce this uncertainty, CME front edge tracking should be continued beyond the FOV of COR2 images. Therefore, heliospheric imager (HI1) data that covers 15–90 Rs FOV must be included. In this paper, we propose a novel automatic method that takes both COR2 and HI1 images into account and combine the results to track the front edges of a CME continuously. The method consists of two modules: pre-processing and tracking. The pre-processing module produces a set of segmented images, which contain the signature of a CME, for both COR2 and HI1 separately. In addition, the HI1 images are resized and padded, so that the center of the Sun is the central coordinate of the resized HI1 images. The resulting COR2 and HI1 image set is then fed into the tracking module to estimate the position angle (PA) and track the front edge of a CME. The detected front edge is then used to produce a height-time profile that is used to estimate the speed of a CME. The method was validated using 15 CME events observed in the period from January 1, 2008 to August 31, 2009. The results demonstrate that the proposed method is effective for CME front edge tracking in both COR2 and HI1 images. Using this method, the CME front edge can now be tracked automatically and continuously in a much larger range, i.e., from 2 to 90 Rs, for the first time. These improvements can greatly help in making the quantitative CME analysis more accurate and have the potential to assist in space weather forecasting.

An Application of the Stereoscopic Self-similar-Expansion Model to the Determination of CME-Driven Shock Parameters

We present an application of the stereoscopic self-similar-expansion model (SSSEM) to Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO)/Sun-Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation (SECCHI) observations of the 03 April 2010 CME and its associated shock. The aim is to verify whether CME-driven shock parameters can be inferred from the analysis of j-maps. For this purpose we use the SSSEM to derive the CME and the shock kinematics. Arrival times and speeds, inferred assuming either propagation at constant speed or with uniform deceleration, show good agreement with Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) measurements. The shock standoff distance $[\Delta]$, the density compression $[\frac{\rho_d}{\rho_u}]$ and the Mach number $[M]$ are calculated combining the results obtained for the CME and shock kinematics with models for the shock location. Their values are extrapolated to $\textrm{L}_1$ and compared to in-situ data. The in-situ standoff distance is obtained from ACE solar-wind measurements, and the Mach number and compression ratio are provided by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics interplanetary shock database. They are $\frac{\rho_d}{\rho_u} =2.84$ and $M = 2.2$. The best fit to observations is obtained when the SSSEM half width $\lambda = 40 \deg$ and the CME and shock propagate with uniform deceleration. In this case we find $\Delta = 23 \textrm{R}_{\odot}$, $\frac{\rho_d}{\rho_u} =2.61$, and $M = 2.93$. The study shows that CME-driven shock parameters can be estimated from the analysis of time-elongation plots and can be used to predict their in-situ values.

AN ATLAS OF CORONAL ELECTRON DENSITY AT 5 R ⊙ . I. DATA PROCESSING AND CALIBRATION

Tomography of the solar corona can provide cruicial constraints for models of the low corona, unique information on changes in coronal structure and rotation rates, and a valuable boundary condition for models of the heliospheric solar wind. This is the first of a series of three papers which aim to create a set of maps of the coronal density over an extended period (1996-present). The papers will describe the data processing and calibration (this paper), the tomography method (\paperii) and resulting atlas of coronal electron density at a height of 5\Rs\ between years 1996-2014 (\paperiii). This first paper presents a detailed description of data processing and calibration for the Large-Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO) C2 instrument onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) and the COR2 instruments of the Sun Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation (SECCHI) package aboard the Solar Terrestial Relations Observatory (STEREO) A \& B spacecraft. The methodology includes noise suppression, background subtraction, separation of large dynamic events, conversion of total brightness to K-coronal brightness and simple functions for crosscalibration between C2/LASCO and COR2/SECCHI. Comparison of the brightness of stars between LASCO C2 total and polarized brightness (\pB) observations provide in-flight calibration factors for the \pB\ observations, resulting in considerable improved agreement between C2 and COR2 A, and elimination of curious artifacts in the C2 \pB\ images. The crosscalibration between LASCO C2 and the STEREO coronagraphs allows, for the first time, the potential use of multi-spacecraft coronagraph data for tomography and for CME analysis.

PERIODIC DENSITY STRUCTURES AND THE ORIGIN OF THE SLOW SOLAR WIND

The source of the slow solar wind has challenged scientists for years. Periodic density structures (PDSs), observed regularly in the solar wind at 1 AU, can be used to address this challenge. These structures have length scales of hundreds to several thousands of megameters and frequencies of tens to hundreds of minutes. Two lines of evidence indicate that PDSs are formed in the solar corona as part of the slow solar wind release and/or acceleration processes. The first is corresponding changes in compositional data in situ, and the second is PDSs observed in the inner Heliospheric Imaging data on board the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO)/Sun Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation (SECCHI) suite. The periodic nature of these density structures is both a useful identifier as well as an important physical constraint on their origin. In this paper, we present the results of tracking periodic structures identified in the inner Heliospheric Imager in SECCHI back in time through the corresponding outer coronagraph (COR2) images. We demonstrate that the PDSs are formed around or below 2.5 solar radii—the inner edge of the COR2 field of view. We compute the occurrence rates of PDSs in 10 days of COR2 images both as a function of their periodicity and location in the solar corona, and we find that this set of PDSs occurs preferentially with a periodicity of ∼90 minutes and occurs near streamers. Lastly, we show that their acceleration and expansion through COR2 is self-similar, thus their frequency is constant at distances beyond 2.5 solar radii.

Dynamics of HVECs emitted from comet C/2011 L4 as observed by STEREO

AbstractHigh‐quality white‐light images from the Sun‐Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation (SECCHI) HI‐1 telescope on board STEREO‐B reveal high‐velocity evanescent clumps (HVECs) expelled from the coma of the C/2011 L4 (Pan‐STARRS) comet. The observations were recorded around the comet's perihelion (i.e., ∼0.3 AU) during the period 9–16 March 2013. Animated images provide evidence of highly dynamic ejecta moving near radially in the antisunward direction. The bulk speed of the clumps at their initial detection in the HI1‐B images range from 200 to 400 km s−1 followed by an appreciable acceleration up to speeds of 450–600 km s−1, which are typical of slow to intermediate solar wind speeds. The clump velocities do not exceed these limiting values and seem to reach a plateau. The images also show that the clumps do not expand as they propagate. The white‐light images do not provide direct insight into the composition of the expelled clumps, which could potentially be composed of fine, submicron dust particles, neutral atoms and molecules, and/or ionized atomic/molecular cometary species. Although solar radiation pressure plays a role in accelerating and size sorting of small dust grains, it cannot accelerate them to velocities >200 km s−1 in the observed time interval of a few hours and distance of < 106 km. Further, order of magnitude calculations show that ionized single atoms or molecules accelerate too quickly compared to observations, while dust grains micron sized or larger accelerate too slowly. We find that neutral Na, Li, K, or Ca atoms with β > 50 could possibly fit the observations. Just as likely, we find that an interaction with the solar wind and the heliospheric magnetic field can cause the observed clump dynamical evolution, accelerating them quickly up to solar wind velocities. We thus speculate that the HVECs are composed of charged particles (dust particles) or neutral atoms accelerated by radiation pressure at β > 50 values. In addition, the data suggest that clump ejecta initially move along near‐radial, bright structures, which then separate into HVECs and larger dust grains that steadily bend backward relative to the comet's orbital motion due to the effects of solar radiation and gravity. These structures gradually form new striae in the dust tail. The near‐periodic spacing of the striae may be indicative of outgassing activity modulation due to the comet nucleus' rotation. It is, however, unclear whether all striae are formed as a result of this process.

Coronal Mass Ejections from the Same Active Region Cluster: Two Different Perspectives

The cluster formed by active regions (ARs) NOAA 11121 and 11123, approximately located on the solar central meridian on 11 November 2010, is of great scientific interest. This complex was the site of violent flux emergence and the source of a series of Earth-directed events on the same day. The onset of the events was nearly simultaneously observed by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) telescope aboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and the Extreme-Ultraviolet Imagers (EUVI) on the Sun-Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation (SECCHI) suite of telescopes onboard the Solar-Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) twin spacecraft. The progression of these events in the low corona was tracked by the Large Angle Spectroscopic Coronagraphs (LASCO) onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) and the SECCHI/COR coronagraphs on STEREO. SDO and SOHO imagers provided data from the Earth's perspective, whilst the STEREO twin instruments procured images from the orthogonal directions. This spatial configuration of spacecraft allowed optimum simultaneous observations of the AR cluster and the coronal mass ejections that originated in it. Quadrature coronal observations provided by STEREO revealed a notably large amount of ejective events compared to those detected from Earth's perspective. Furthermore, joint observations by SDO/AIA and STEREO/SECCHI EUVI of the source region indicate that all events classified by GOES as X-ray flares had an ejective coronal counterpart in quadrature observations. These results have direct impact on current space weather forecasting because of the probable missing alarms when there is a lack of solar observations in a view direction perpendicular to the Sun-Earth line.

An Ensemble Study of a January 2010 Coronal Mass Ejection (CME): Connecting a Non-obvious Solar Source with Its ICME/Magnetic Cloud

A distinct magnetic cloud (MC) was observed in-situ at the Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO)-B on 20 – 21 January 2010. About three days earlier, on 17 January, a bright flare and coronal mass ejection (CME) were clearly observed by STEREO-B, which suggests that this was the progenitor of the MC. However, the in-situ speed of the event, several earlier weaker events, heliospheric imaging, and a longitude mismatch with the STEREO-B spacecraft made this interpretation unlikely. We searched for other possible solar eruptions that could have caused the MC and found a faint filament eruption and the associated CME on 14 – 15 January as the likely solar source event. We were able to confirm this source by using coronal imaging from the Sun Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation (SECCHI)/EUVI and COR and Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)/Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronograph (LASCO) telescopes and heliospheric imaging from the Solar Mass Ejection Imager (SMEI) and the STEREO/Heliospheric Imager instruments. We use several empirical models to understand the three-dimensional geometry and propagation of the CME, analyze the in-situ characteristics of the associated ICME, and investigate the characteristics of the MC by comparing four independent flux-rope model fits with the launch observations and magnetic-field orientations. The geometry and orientations of the CME from the heliospheric-density reconstructions and the in-situ modeling are remarkably consistent. Lastly, this event demonstrates that a careful analysis of all aspects of the development and evolution of a CME is necessary to correctly identify the solar counterpart of an ICME/MC.

Particle kinetic analysis of a polar jet from SECCHI COR data

Aims. We analyze coronagraph observations of a polar jet observed by the Sun Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation (SECCHI) instrument suite onboard the Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO) spacecraft. Methods. In our analysis we compare the brightness distribution of the jet in white-light coronagraph images with a dedicated kinetic particle model. We obtain a consistent estimate of the time that the jet was launched from the solar surface and an approximate initial velocity distribution in the jet source. The method also allows us to check the consistency of the kinetic model. In this first application, we consider only gravity as the dominant force on the jet particles along the magnetic field. Results. We find that the kinetic model explains the observed brightness evolution well. The derived initiation time is consistent with the jet observations by the EUVI telescope at various wavelengths. The initial particle velocity distribution is fitted by Maxwellian distributions and we find deviations of the high energy tail from the Maxwellian distributions. We estimate the jet's total electron content to have a mass between 3.2 \times 1014 and 1.8 \times 1015 g. Mapping the integrated particle number along the jet trajectory to its source region and assuming a typical source region size, we obtain an initial electron density between 8 \times 109 and 5 \times 1010 cm-3 that is characteristic for the lower corona or the upper chromosphere. The total kinetic energy of all particles in the jet source region amounts from 2.1 \times 1028 to 2.4 \times 1029 erg.

STEREO SECCHI COR1-A/B Intercalibration at 180° Separation

The twin Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) spacecraft reached a separation angle of 180 degrees on 6 February 2011. This provided a unique opportunity to test the intercalibration between the Sun-Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation (SECCHI) telescopes on both spacecraft for areas above the limb. So long as the corona is optically thin, at 180 degree separation each spacecraft sees the same corona from opposite directions. Thus, the data should appear as mirror images of each other. We report here on the results of the comparison of the images taken by the inner coronagraph (COR1) on the STEREO Ahead and Behind spacecraft in the hours when the separation was close to 180 degrees. We find that the intensity values seen by the two telescopes agree with each other to a high degree of accuracy. This validates both the radiometric intercalibration between the COR1 telescopes, and the method used to remove instrumental background from the images. The relative error between COR1-A and COR1-B is found to be less than 10(exp -9) B/B solar over most of the field-of-view, growing to a few x 10(exp -9) B/B solar for the brighter pixels near the edge of the occulter. The primary source of error is the background determination. We also report on the analysis of star observations which show that the absolute radiometric calibration of either COR1 telescope has not changed significantly since launch.

Kinematic Evolution of a Slow CME in Corona Viewed by STEREO-B on 8 October 2007

We studied the kinematic evolution of the 8 October 2007 CME in the corona based on observations from Sun – Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation (SECCHI) onboard satellite B of Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO). The observational results show that this CME obviously deflected to a lower latitude region of about 30° at the beginning. After this, the CME propagated radially. We also analyze the influence of the background magnetic field on the deflection of this CME. We find that the deflection of this CME at an early stage may be caused by a nonuniform distribution of the background magnetic-field energy density and that the CME tended to propagate to the region with lower magnetic-energy density. In addition, we found that the velocity profile of this gradual CME shows multiphased evolution during its propagation in the COR1-B FOV. The CME velocity first remained constant: 23.1 km s−1. Then it accelerated continuously with a positive acceleration of ≈7.6 m s−2.

Stereoscopic analysis of STEREO/SECCHI data for CME trajectory determination

The Sun Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation (SECCHI) coronagraphs on the twin Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO) spacecraft provide simultaneous views of the corona and coronal mass ejections from two view points. Here, we analyze simultaneous image pairs using the technique of tie-pointing and triangulation (T&T) to determine the three-dimensional trajectory of seven coronal mass ejections (CMEs). The bright leading edge of a CME seen in coronagraph images results from line-of-sight integration through the CME front; the two STEREO coronagraphs see different apparent leading edges, leading to a systematic error in its three-dimensional reconstruction. We analyze this systematic error using a simple geometric model of a CME front. We validate the technique and analysis by comparing T&T trajectory determinations for seven CMEs with trajectories determined by Thernisien et al. (2009) using a forward modeling technique not susceptible to this systematic effect. We find that, for the range of spacecraft separation studied (≤50°), T&T gives reliable trajectories (uncertainty <10° in direction and <15% velocity) for CME propagating within approximately ±40° of perpendicular to Sun–Earth line. For CMEs close to the Sun–Earth or Sun–Spacecraft lines, T&T is subject to larger errors, especially in the velocity.