Tag: flux ropes
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SWIFT: A Fleet of Sungazing Spacecraft to Spot Space Tornadoes Before They Reach Earth
Introduction: A Bold Step in Space Weather Forecasting As the Sun’s activity climbs in its 11-year cycle, solar eruptions—flares and coronal mass ejections—pose real risks to satellites, power grids, and critical infrastructure on Earth. A new study proposes a bold solution: a quartet of sentinel spacecraft, collectively named Space Weather Investigation Frontier (SWIFT), designed to…
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Space Weather Watch: A Sail-Powered SWIFT Net Could Detect Solar Tornadoes Faster
New idea: a sentinel fleet to spot space tornadoes before they strike Scientists are proposing a bold new way to monitor the Sun’s volatile tantrums: a small fleet of deep-space spacecraft named Space Weather Investigation Frontier (SWIFT). The plan envisions four spacecraft in a strategic arrangement to watch solar activity with unprecedented clarity and speed,…
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A Solar Sail and a Space ‘Pyramid’ Could Speed Up Warnings for Space Weather Tornadoes
Overview: A bold plan to accelerate space weather warnings Scientists have proposed a pioneering constellation—Space Weather Investigation Frontier (SWIFT)—designed to watch the sun more closely and deliver faster warnings about dangerous solar eruptions. The plan envisions four deep-space spacecraft working together, with three powered by conventional fuel and a fourth carrying a massive solar sail…
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Solar Sail Probes to Detect Space Tornadoes: A New Era in Space Weather Warnings
Introduction: A New Approach to Space Weather Warnings Scientists are rethinking how we monitor space weather by looking beyond the Sun itself. A recent study suggests that a constellation of spacecraft — including a solar sailer riding on sunlight — could detect tornado-like twists in the solar wind much earlier than current single-spacecraft systems allow.…
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Solar sail probe could detect space tornadoes earlier
New simulations reveal hidden space weather threats Researchers simulate a vast cloud of solar plasma to understand how small, tornado-like features in the solar wind—known as flux ropes—form and evolve. These mid-sized structures can spin up from coronal mass ejections as they plow through slower solar wind, potentially generating strong magnetic fields that trigger geomagnetic…