Space Weather Research: The CME of March 2012

  • Released Thursday, December 20, 2012
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Forecasting space weather is of vital importance in protecting NASA assets around the solar system. For this reason, NASA routinely tests various space weather models at the Community-Coordinated Modeling Center (CCMC).

This visualization is constructed from a computer model run of a coronal mass ejection (CME) launched from the sun in early March, 2012. The preliminary CME parameters were measured from instruments on the STEREO (the red and blue satellite icons) and SDO (in Earth orbit) satellites. The Enlil model was used to propagate those parameters through the solar system. From this model, they can estimate the strength and time of arrival of the CME at various locations around the solar system. This allows other missions to either safe-mode their satellites for protection, or allow them to conduct measurements to test the accuracy of the model.

Enlil model for the March 2012 coronal mass ejection, plotted out to ten astronomical units (beyond the orbit of Saturn). The top view slices the data in the plane of the Earth's orbit and projects the planetary orbits onto that. The side view is a cross-section through the Sun-Earth line. The wedge-shape of the side view is because the Enlil model only extends above and below the solar equator by 60 degrees.

Enlil model for the March 2012 coronal mass ejection, plotted out to two astronomical units (beyond the orbit of Mars). The top view slices the data in the plane of the Earth's orbit and projects the planetary orbits onto that. The side view is a cross-section through the Sun-Earth line. The wedge-shape of the side view is because the Enlil model only extends above and below the solar equator by 60 degrees.

This color table represents how displaying each of the three variables as separate red, green, and blue color ramps combine to identify characteristics in the solar wind and CME.

This color table represents how displaying each of the three variables as separate red, green, and blue color ramps combine to identify characteristics in the solar wind and CME.

The mass density in atomic mass units (AMUs) per cubic centimeter. 1 AMU/cc corresponds to 1 hydrogen ion or atom per cc.

The mass density in atomic mass units (AMUs) per cubic centimeter. 1 AMU/cc corresponds to 1 hydrogen ion or atom per cc.

Plasma temperture scale, in Kelvin.

Plasma temperture scale, in Kelvin.

Credits

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio, the Space Weather Research Center (SWRC) and the Community-Coordinated Modeling Center (CCMC), Enlil and Dusan Odstrcil (GMU).

This page was originally published on Thursday, December 20, 2012.
This page was last updated on Tuesday, November 14, 2023 at 12:03 AM EST.

Series

This visualization can be found in the following series:

Datasets used in this visualization

  • Enlil Heliospheric Model (Enlil Heliospheric Model)

    ID: 685
    Type: Model Dates used: 2012-03-05T09:00:00 - 2012-04-05T09:03:00

    MHD solar wind simulation

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  • SPICE Ephemerides (SPICE Ephemerides)

    ID: 755
    Type: Ephemeris Dates used: 2012-03-05T09:00:00 - 2012-04-05T09:03:00

    Satellite and planetary ephemerides

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