A Coronal Mass Ejection strikes the Earth!

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. Same movie as above, but a cyan arrow marks the direction of Earth's magnetic pole. A profile view of the magnetic field and density data. No pullout from Earth. This movie presents an oblique view of the geo-magnetic field and a vertical slice of density data. This view provides a better look of the three-dimensional structure of the magnetic field lines as the magnetosphere evolves. Same movie as above, but a cyan arrow marks the direction of Earth's magnetic pole. Color bar for density data. This colorbar uses the same scale as "Comparative Magnetospheres: A Carrington-Class CME" to facilitate comparison. 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. Related pages

Follow a coronal mass ejection as is passes Venus then Earth, and explore how the sun drives Earth's winds and oceans.For complete transcript, click here.Also available for the entire Dynamic Earth show are the transcript and the educator's guide. A coronal mass ejection erupts from the Sun. A coronal mass ejection approaches Venus. A coronal mass ejection passes Venus. Ocean currents of the Gulf Stream. Ocean currents beneath the Gulf Stream. The loop current feeds into the Gulf Stream. Follow a coronal mass ejection as is passes Venus then Earth; and explore how the sun drive Earth's winds and oceans. This version has an alternate narrator.For complete transcript, click here. Unnarrated, edited version with just the Sun to Earth coronal mass ejection (with a Venus flyby). The entire sequence, unnarrated and formatted for the Hyperwall. Starting from the coronal mass ejection and formatted for the Hyperwall. Shows the coronal mass ejection only, and formatted for the Hyperwall. Shows the wind flows only, and formatted for the Hyperwall. A giant explosion of magnetic energy from the sun, called a coronal mass ejection, slams into and is deflected completely by the Earth's powerful magnetic field. The sun also continually sends out streams of light and radiation energy. Earth's atmosphere acts like a radiation shield, blocking quite a bit of this energy.Much of the radiation energy that makes it through is reflected back into space by clouds, ice and snow and the energy that remains helps to drive the Earth system, powering a remarkable planetary engine — the climate. It becomes the energy that feeds swirling wind and ocean currents as cold air and surface waters move toward the equator and warm air and water moves toward the poles — all in an attempt to equalize temperatures around the world.A jury appointed by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and Science magazine has selected "Excerpt from Dynamic Earth" as the winner of the 2013 NSF International Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge for the Video category. This animation will be highlighted in the February 2014 special section of Science and will be hosted on ScienceMag.org and NSF.govThis animation was selected for the Computer Animation Festival's Electronic Theater at the Association for Computer Machinery's Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques (SIGGRAPH), a prestigious computer graphics and technical research forum. This is an excerpt from the fulldome, high-resolution show 'Dynamic Earth: Exploring Earth's Climate Engine.' The Dynamic Earth dome show was selected as a finalist in the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival Science Media Awards under the category "Best Immersive Cinema - Fulldome". For More InformationSee [http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/dynamic-earth.html](http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/dynamic-earth.html) Related pages

It's a big place out there. Now you can explore it all right here. Get ready for more cutting-edge images and visualizations from the NASA Visualization Explorer app. Creating masterpieces: Scientific Visualization Studio Director Horace Mitchell leads the development of new visualizations featured on the app. Exploration begins at home: New discoveries about our planet are brought to life through data visualization. World of change: From the vantage of space, Earth-observing satellites capture how our planet continues to evolve. Star power: Satellites offer extraordinary views of our sun's dynamic forces in motion. Extreme sunblock: Earth's protective magnetic shield deflects highly energetic particles released during solar storms. Lunar illumination: High-resolution images reveal the heavily cratered surface of the moon. Neighborhood watch: The planets in our solar system are seen in ever-sharpening detail through advancements in technology. When galaxies collide: Computer animations visualize discoveries of the universe beyond the Milky Way. Looking back billions of years: The James Webb Space Telescope will peer deeper into space and time than ever before. Related pages