{ "id": 3739, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3739/", "page_type": "Visualization", "title": "Space Weather Event: Incoming View", "description": "We open with a view from high above the ecliptic plane, at the space between the Sun (left) and the Earth (within the small rectangular box on the right). In the plane of the Earth's orbit, we show a 'slice' of the Enlil model showing the particle density profile of the solar wind (white to yellow for decreasing particle density). The spiral 'rotating water sprinkler' pattern in the density is the Parker spiral (Wikipedia). The nested grid pattern centered on the Earth, provides a sense of scale to the scene. The smallest grid square in the opening view is 1,000 Earth radii on each side. The scale changes by a factor of ten for each step larger or smaller in size.We zoom down to the Earth as the CME (orange surface) erupts in the direction of the Earth, then move into a position behind the Earth with the Sun visible in the distance.As the particle density enhancement from the CME strikes the Earth, we see the Earth's magnetosphere respond, with the outer, high density surface (red) 'blown away'. This surface location corresponds roughly to the location of the bow shock. The bow shock has not been eliminated, only some of its particles have been depleted, to be carried off in the CME and solar wind. As the densest material of the CME passes (orange surface), plasma from the CME continues to flow by the Earth, stretching the magnetosphere into a long, thin structure behind the Earth.The magnetosphere slowly recovers from the 'impact', and regions that can confine higher particle densities reform - the red surfaces return. But not for long as the rarefaction (Wikipedia) behind the CME reaches the Earth. This lower density region provides fewer particles to repopulate the magnetosphere and makes it easier for particles confined in the magnetosphere to 'leak' out into the solar wind.For the BATS-R-US model, the isosurface colors correpond to densities of: red=20 AMUs per cubic centimeter, yellow=10.0 AMUs per cubic centimeter, light blue=1.0 AMUs per cubic centimeter, and blue=0.1 AMUs per cubic centimeter. An AMU corresponds to about the mass of a hydrogen atom, so the value roughly corresponds to the number of atoms per cubic centimeter.This visualization is part of a series of visualizations on space weather modeling. || ", "release_date": "2010-07-06T00:00:00-04:00", "update_date": "2023-05-03T13:54:09.462683-04:00", "main_image": { "id": 491331, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003700/a003739/SWincoming.slate_tour.HD720p.0300.jpg", "filename": "SWincoming.slate_tour.HD720p.0300.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This is the full movie of the CME striking the Earth.", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 }, "main_video": { "id": 491322, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003700/a003739/SWincoming_HD1080.mp4", "filename": "SWincoming_HD1080.mp4", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "This is the full movie of the CME striking the Earth.", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 }, "progress": "Complete", "media_groups": [ { "id": 353056, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3739/#media_group_353056", "widget": "Basic text with HTML", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "We open with a view from high above the ecliptic plane, at the space between the Sun (left) and the Earth (within the small rectangular box on the right). In the plane of the Earth's orbit, we show a 'slice' of the Enlil model showing the particle density profile of the solar wind (white to yellow for decreasing particle density). The spiral 'rotating water sprinkler' pattern in the density is the Parker spiral (Wikipedia). The nested grid pattern centered on the Earth, provides a sense of scale to the scene. The smallest grid square in the opening view is 1,000 Earth radii on each side. The scale changes by a factor of ten for each step larger or smaller in size.

We zoom down to the Earth as the CME (orange surface) erupts in the direction of the Earth, then move into a position behind the Earth with the Sun visible in the distance.

As the particle density enhancement from the CME strikes the Earth, we see the Earth's magnetosphere respond, with the outer, high density surface (red) 'blown away'. This surface location corresponds roughly to the location of the bow shock. The bow shock has not been eliminated, only some of its particles have been depleted, to be carried off in the CME and solar wind. As the densest material of the CME passes (orange surface), plasma from the CME continues to flow by the Earth, stretching the magnetosphere into a long, thin structure behind the Earth.

The magnetosphere slowly recovers from the 'impact', and regions that can confine higher particle densities reform - the red surfaces return. But not for long as the rarefaction (Wikipedia) behind the CME reaches the Earth. This lower density region provides fewer particles to repopulate the magnetosphere and makes it easier for particles confined in the magnetosphere to 'leak' out into the solar wind.

For the BATS-R-US model, the isosurface colors correpond to densities of: red=20 AMUs per cubic centimeter, yellow=10.0 AMUs per cubic centimeter, light blue=1.0 AMUs per cubic centimeter, and blue=0.1 AMUs per cubic centimeter. An AMU corresponds to about the mass of a hydrogen atom, so the value roughly corresponds to the number of atoms per cubic centimeter.

This visualization is part of a series of visualizations on space weather modeling.

", "items": [], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 353057, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3739/#media_group_353057", "widget": "Video player", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "This is the full movie of the CME striking the Earth.", "items": [ { "id": 335970, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 491331, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003700/a003739/SWincoming.slate_tour.HD720p.0300.jpg", "filename": "SWincoming.slate_tour.HD720p.0300.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This is the full movie of the CME striking the Earth.", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } }, { "id": 335968, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 491329, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003700/a003739/SWincoming.slate_tour.HD720p.0300_web.png", "filename": "SWincoming.slate_tour.HD720p.0300_web.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This is the full movie of the CME striking the Earth.", "width": 320, "height": 180, "pixels": 57600 } }, { "id": 335969, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 491330, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003700/a003739/SWincoming.slate_tour.HD720p.0300_thm.png", "filename": "SWincoming.slate_tour.HD720p.0300_thm.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This is the full movie of the CME striking the Earth.", "width": 80, "height": 40, "pixels": 3200 } }, { "id": 335961, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 491322, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003700/a003739/SWincoming_HD1080.mp4", "filename": "SWincoming_HD1080.mp4", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "This is the full movie of the CME striking the Earth.", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 335962, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 491323, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003700/a003739/SWincoming_HD720.mp4", "filename": "SWincoming_HD720.mp4", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "This is the full movie of the CME striking the Earth.", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } }, { "id": 335963, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 491324, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003700/a003739/SWincoming_720p.m2v", "filename": "SWincoming_720p.m2v", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "This is the full movie of the CME striking the Earth.", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } }, { "id": 335966, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 491327, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003700/a003739/frames/1280x720_16x9_30p/", "filename": "1280x720_16x9_30p", "media_type": "Frames", "alt_text": "This is the full movie of the CME striking the Earth.", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } }, { "id": 335967, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 491328, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003700/a003739/frames/1920x1080_16x9_30p/", "filename": "1920x1080_16x9_30p", "media_type": "Frames", "alt_text": "This is the full movie of the CME striking the Earth.", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 335971, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 491332, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003700/a003739/SWincoming_HD1080.webmhd.webm", "filename": "SWincoming_HD1080.webmhd.webm", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "This is the full movie of the CME striking the Earth.", "width": 960, "height": 540, "pixels": 518400 } }, { "id": 335964, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 491325, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003700/a003739/SWincoming_iPod.m4v", "filename": "SWincoming_iPod.m4v", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "This is the full movie of the CME striking the Earth.", "width": 640, "height": 360, "pixels": 230400 } }, { "id": 335965, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 491326, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003700/a003739/SWincoming_512x288.m1v", "filename": "SWincoming_512x288.m1v", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "This is the full movie of the CME striking the Earth.", "width": 512, "height": 288, "pixels": 147456 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 353058, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3739/#media_group_353058", "widget": "Single image", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "A view high above the Earth's orbital plane, showing the Sun and the Earth. The Parker spiral pattern is visible in the density of the solar wind.", "items": [ { "id": 335974, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 491335, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003700/a003739/SWincoming.slate_tour.HRstills.0000.jpg", "filename": "SWincoming.slate_tour.HRstills.0000.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "A view high above the Earth's orbital plane, showing the Sun and the Earth. The Parker spiral pattern is visible in the density of the solar wind.", "width": 2560, "height": 1440, "pixels": 3686400 } }, { "id": 335973, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 491334, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003700/a003739/SWincoming.slate_tour.HRstills.0000_web.png", "filename": "SWincoming.slate_tour.HRstills.0000_web.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "A view high above the Earth's orbital plane, showing the Sun and the Earth. The Parker spiral pattern is visible in the density of the solar wind.", "width": 320, "height": 180, "pixels": 57600 } }, { "id": 335972, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 491333, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003700/a003739/SWincoming.slate_tour.HRstills.0000.tif", "filename": "SWincoming.slate_tour.HRstills.0000.tif", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "A view high above the Earth's orbital plane, showing the Sun and the Earth. The Parker spiral pattern is visible in the density of the solar wind.", "width": 2560, "height": 1440, "pixels": 3686400 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 353059, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3739/#media_group_353059", "widget": "Single image", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "With this view, we look down on the Earth from above the Earth's orbital plane as the CME is about to strike the Earth. The density isosurfaces of the BATS-R-US model are visible in the computational box surrounding the Earth.", "items": [ { "id": 335977, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 491338, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003700/a003739/SWincoming.slate_tour.HRstills.0244.jpg", "filename": "SWincoming.slate_tour.HRstills.0244.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "With this view, we look down on the Earth from above the Earth's orbital plane as the CME is about to strike the Earth. The density isosurfaces of the BATS-R-US model are visible in the computational box surrounding the Earth.", "width": 2560, "height": 1440, "pixels": 3686400 } }, { "id": 335976, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 491337, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003700/a003739/SWincoming.slate_tour.HRstills.0244_web.png", "filename": "SWincoming.slate_tour.HRstills.0244_web.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "With this view, we look down on the Earth from above the Earth's orbital plane as the CME is about to strike the Earth. The density isosurfaces of the BATS-R-US model are visible in the computational box surrounding the Earth.", "width": 320, "height": 180, "pixels": 57600 } }, { "id": 335975, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 491336, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003700/a003739/SWincoming.slate_tour.HRstills.0244.tif", "filename": "SWincoming.slate_tour.HRstills.0244.tif", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "With this view, we look down on the Earth from above the Earth's orbital plane as the CME is about to strike the Earth. The density isosurfaces of the BATS-R-US model are visible in the computational box surrounding the Earth.", "width": 2560, "height": 1440, "pixels": 3686400 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 353060, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3739/#media_group_353060", "widget": "Single image", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "We move down closer and 'behind' the Earth, relative to the Sun, for a view of the CME passing the Earth.", "items": [ { "id": 335980, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 491341, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003700/a003739/SWincoming.slate_tour.HRstills.0304.jpg", "filename": "SWincoming.slate_tour.HRstills.0304.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "We move down closer and 'behind' the Earth, relative to the Sun, for a view of the CME passing the Earth.", "width": 2560, "height": 1440, "pixels": 3686400 } }, { "id": 335979, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 491340, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003700/a003739/SWincoming.slate_tour.HRstills.0304_web.png", "filename": "SWincoming.slate_tour.HRstills.0304_web.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "We move down closer and 'behind' the Earth, relative to the Sun, for a view of the CME passing the Earth.", "width": 320, "height": 180, "pixels": 57600 } }, { "id": 335978, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 491339, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003700/a003739/SWincoming.slate_tour.HRstills.0304.tif", "filename": "SWincoming.slate_tour.HRstills.0304.tif", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "We move down closer and 'behind' the Earth, relative to the Sun, for a view of the CME passing the Earth.", "width": 2560, "height": 1440, "pixels": 3686400 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 353061, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3739/#media_group_353061", "widget": "Single image", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "The highest density region of the CME has passed, depleting the Earth's magnetosphere of particles (the lower density blue isosurfaces). The satellites in halo orbits around L1 are visible in the distance while the Moon, as well as several geospace satellites are seen orbiting the Earth.", "items": [ { "id": 335983, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 491344, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003700/a003739/SWincoming.slate_tour.HRstills.0964.jpg", "filename": "SWincoming.slate_tour.HRstills.0964.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "The highest density region of the CME has passed, depleting the Earth's magnetosphere of particles (the lower density blue isosurfaces). The satellites in halo orbits around L1 are visible in the distance while the Moon, as well as several geospace satellites are seen orbiting the Earth.", "width": 2560, "height": 1440, "pixels": 3686400 } }, { "id": 335982, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 491343, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003700/a003739/SWincoming.slate_tour.HRstills.0964_web.png", "filename": "SWincoming.slate_tour.HRstills.0964_web.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "The highest density region of the CME has passed, depleting the Earth's magnetosphere of particles (the lower density blue isosurfaces). The satellites in halo orbits around L1 are visible in the distance while the Moon, as well as several geospace satellites are seen orbiting the Earth.", "width": 320, "height": 180, "pixels": 57600 } }, { "id": 335981, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 491342, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003700/a003739/SWincoming.slate_tour.HRstills.0964.tif", "filename": "SWincoming.slate_tour.HRstills.0964.tif", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "The highest density region of the CME has passed, depleting the Earth's magnetosphere of particles (the lower density blue isosurfaces). The satellites in halo orbits around L1 are visible in the distance while the Moon, as well as several geospace satellites are seen orbiting the Earth.", "width": 2560, "height": 1440, "pixels": 3686400 } } ], "extra_data": {} } ], "studio": "SVS", "funding_sources": [ "NASA Heliophysics" ], "credits": [ { "role": "Animator", "people": [ { "name": "Tom Bridgman", "employer": "Global Science and Technology, Inc." }, { "name": "Greg Shirah", "employer": "NASA/GSFC" } ] }, { "role": "Producer", "people": [ { "name": "Scott Wiessinger", "employer": "UMBC" } ] }, { "role": "Scientist", "people": [ { "name": "Michael Hesse", "employer": "NASA/GSFC" } ] } ], "missions": [], "series": [ "Space Weather Modeling" ], "tapes": [], "papers": [], "datasets": [ { "name": "SSCweb", "common_name": "SSCweb ephemerides", "platform": null, "sensor": null, "type": "Ephemeris", "organizations": [], "description": "Satellite ephemerides", "credit": "", "url": "http://sscweb.gsfc.nasa.gov", "date_range": "2006/1211T02:24:42 -2006/12/15T23:55:02 " }, { "name": "JPL/Horizon Orbital Ephemerides", "common_name": "", "platform": null, "sensor": null, "type": "Ephemeris", "organizations": [], "description": "Planetary ephemerides", "credit": "", "url": "http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/?horizons", "date_range": "2006/1211T02:24:42 -2006/12/15T23:55:02 " }, { "name": "Enlil Heliospheric Model", "common_name": "Enlil Heliospheric Model", "platform": null, "sensor": null, "type": "Model", "organizations": [], "description": "MHD solar wind simulation", "credit": "", "url": "", "date_range": "2006/1211T02:24:42 -2006/12/15T23:55:02 " }, { "name": "BATS-R-US Magnetosphere Model", "common_name": "", "platform": null, "sensor": null, "type": "Model", "organizations": [], "description": "MHD Magnetospheric simulation", "credit": "", "url": "", "date_range": "2006/12/14T13:00:00 - 2006/12/15T13:00:00" } ], "nasa_science_categories": [ "Sun" ], "keywords": [ "Computer Model", "Coronal Mass Ejections", "Earth Science", "Geomagnetic Field", "HDTV", "Magnetosphere", "Solar Activity", "Space Weather", "Sun-earth Interactions" ], "recommended_pages": [], "related": [ { "id": 4188, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4188/", "page_type": "Visualization", "title": "Comparative Magnetospheres: A Noteworthy Coronal Mass Ejection", "description": "In an effort to understand and predict the impact of space weather events on Earth, the Community-Coordinated Modeling Center (CCMC) at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, routinely runs computer models of the many historical events. These model runs are then compared to actual data to determine ways to improve the model, and therefore forecasts of the impacts of future space weather events.In mid-December of 2006, the Sun erupted with a bright flare and coronal mass ejection (CME) that launched particles Earthward. While not the brightest or largest event observed, its impact on Earth was substantial, requiring some effort to protect satellites (ESA: Reacting to a solar flare).The visualization presented here is a CCMC run of a BATS-R-US model simulating the impact of this event on Earth. Here, lines are used to represent the 'flow direction' of magnetic field of the solar wind impacting Earth, as well as the effects on Earth's geomagnetic field. A 'cut-plane' through the data illustrates the changes in the particle density in the solar wind and magnetosphere. The color of the data represents a logarithmic scaling of density, with red as the highest (1000 particles per cubic centimeter) down to blue (0.01 particles per cubic centimeter). In this simulation, each frame of the movie corresponds to two minutes of real time.In the movie, we see vertical field lines of magnetic field carried by the solar wind, coming in from the left. As this field, and the plasma carrying it, strike Earth's magnetic field, they bend and reconnect, around the Earth. Some field lines actually reconnect to the polar regions of the Earth, providing a ready flow-path for particles to reach the ionosphere and generate aurora. This interaction between the solar wind and the plasma trapped in Earth's magnetosphere also creates a density enhancement between Earth and the solar wind helping to shield Earth from some of the effects. A lower density wake forms behind Earth (the blue region). There is a circular 'hole' around the Earth which is a gap in the model. || ", "release_date": "2014-09-25T10:00:00-04:00", "update_date": "2023-11-14T00:05:23.078591-05:00", "main_image": { "id": 452471, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a004100/a004188/Earth_December2006_Pullout.noslate_GSEmove.HD1080i.0300_print.jpg", "filename": "Earth_December2006_Pullout.noslate_GSEmove.HD1080i.0300_print.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This movie opens with a close-up view of Earth with geo-magnetic field lines. The camera pulls out and fades in a profile slice of the plasma density data.This video is also available on our YouTube channel.", "width": 1024, "height": 576, "pixels": 589824 } } ], "sources": [], "products": [], "newer_versions": [], "older_versions": [], "alternate_versions": [] }