A prominence eruption from the Sun to the Parker Solar Probe with multi-spacecraft observations
In the early hours of 2021 April 25, the Solar Probe Cup on board Parker Solar Probe registered the passage of a solar wind structure characterized by a clear and constant He2+/H+ density ratio above 6% during three hours. The He2+ contribution remained present but fainting and intermittent within a...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-08-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2023.1191294/full |
| _version_ | 1797755188633665536 |
|---|---|
| author | Tatiana Niembro Daniel B. Seaton Phillip Hess David Berghmans Vincenzo Andretta Katharine K. Reeves Pete Riley Michael L. Stevens Federico Landini Clementina Sasso Cis Verbeeck Roberto Susino Michela Uslenghi |
| author_facet | Tatiana Niembro Daniel B. Seaton Phillip Hess David Berghmans Vincenzo Andretta Katharine K. Reeves Pete Riley Michael L. Stevens Federico Landini Clementina Sasso Cis Verbeeck Roberto Susino Michela Uslenghi |
| author_sort | Tatiana Niembro |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In the early hours of 2021 April 25, the Solar Probe Cup on board Parker Solar Probe registered the passage of a solar wind structure characterized by a clear and constant He2+/H+ density ratio above 6% during three hours. The He2+ contribution remained present but fainting and intermittent within a twelve-hour window. Solar Orbiter and Parker Solar Probe were in nearly perfect quadrature, allowing for optimal observing configuration in which the material impacting the Parker Solar Probe was in the Solar Orbiter plane of the sky and visible off the limb. In this work, we report the journey of the helium-enriched plasma structure from the Sun to the Parker Solar Probe by combining multi-spacecraft remote-sensing and in situ measurements. We identify an erupting prominence as the likely source, behind the Sun relative to the Earth, but visible to multiple instruments on both the Solar-Terrestrial Relations Observatory-A and Solar Orbiter. The associated CME was also observed by coronagraphs and heliospheric imagers from both spacecrafts before reaching the Parker Solar Probe at 46 R⊙, 8 h after the spacecraft registered a crossing of the heliospheric current sheet. Except for extraordinary helium enhancement, the CME showed ordinary plasma signatures and a complex magnetic field with an overall strength enhancement. The images from the Wide-field Imager for Solar Probe (WISPR) aboard Parker Solar Probe show a structure entering the field of view a few hours before the in situ crossing, followed by repetitive transient structures that may be the result of flying through the CME body. We believe this to be the first example of a CME being imaged by WISPR directly before and during being detected in situ. This study highlights the potential of combining the Parker Solar Probe in situ measurements in the inner heliosphere with simultaneous remote-sensing observations in (near) quadrature from other spacecrafts. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T17:43:13Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fa8bc7dbabe34557b64c661a49739c2d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-987X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T17:43:13Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-fa8bc7dbabe34557b64c661a49739c2d2023-08-04T00:52:34ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences2296-987X2023-08-011010.3389/fspas.2023.11912941191294A prominence eruption from the Sun to the Parker Solar Probe with multi-spacecraft observationsTatiana Niembro0Daniel B. Seaton1Phillip Hess2David Berghmans3Vincenzo Andretta4Katharine K. Reeves5Pete Riley6Michael L. Stevens7Federico Landini8Clementina Sasso9Cis Verbeeck10Roberto Susino11Michela Uslenghi12Center for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian, Cambridge, MA, United StatesSouthwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO, United StatesU.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC, United StatesSolar-Terrestrial Centre of Excellence—SIDC, Royal Observatory of Belgium, Brussels, BelgiumINAF—Osservatorio Astronomico di Capodimonte, Naples, ItalyCenter for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian, Cambridge, MA, United StatesPredictive Science Inc., San Diego, CA, United StatesCenter for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian, Cambridge, MA, United StatesIstituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica, Osservatorio Astrofisico di Torino, Pino Torinese, ItalyINAF—Osservatorio Astronomico di Capodimonte, Naples, ItalySolar-Terrestrial Centre of Excellence—SIDC, Royal Observatory of Belgium, Brussels, BelgiumIstituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica, Osservatorio Astrofisico di Torino, Pino Torinese, ItalyINAF—Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica, Milan, ItalyIn the early hours of 2021 April 25, the Solar Probe Cup on board Parker Solar Probe registered the passage of a solar wind structure characterized by a clear and constant He2+/H+ density ratio above 6% during three hours. The He2+ contribution remained present but fainting and intermittent within a twelve-hour window. Solar Orbiter and Parker Solar Probe were in nearly perfect quadrature, allowing for optimal observing configuration in which the material impacting the Parker Solar Probe was in the Solar Orbiter plane of the sky and visible off the limb. In this work, we report the journey of the helium-enriched plasma structure from the Sun to the Parker Solar Probe by combining multi-spacecraft remote-sensing and in situ measurements. We identify an erupting prominence as the likely source, behind the Sun relative to the Earth, but visible to multiple instruments on both the Solar-Terrestrial Relations Observatory-A and Solar Orbiter. The associated CME was also observed by coronagraphs and heliospheric imagers from both spacecrafts before reaching the Parker Solar Probe at 46 R⊙, 8 h after the spacecraft registered a crossing of the heliospheric current sheet. Except for extraordinary helium enhancement, the CME showed ordinary plasma signatures and a complex magnetic field with an overall strength enhancement. The images from the Wide-field Imager for Solar Probe (WISPR) aboard Parker Solar Probe show a structure entering the field of view a few hours before the in situ crossing, followed by repetitive transient structures that may be the result of flying through the CME body. We believe this to be the first example of a CME being imaged by WISPR directly before and during being detected in situ. This study highlights the potential of combining the Parker Solar Probe in situ measurements in the inner heliosphere with simultaneous remote-sensing observations in (near) quadrature from other spacecrafts.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2023.1191294/fullprominencecoronal mass ejectionspace weathermulti-spacecraft observationsParker Solar Probe |
| spellingShingle | Tatiana Niembro Daniel B. Seaton Phillip Hess David Berghmans Vincenzo Andretta Katharine K. Reeves Pete Riley Michael L. Stevens Federico Landini Clementina Sasso Cis Verbeeck Roberto Susino Michela Uslenghi A prominence eruption from the Sun to the Parker Solar Probe with multi-spacecraft observations Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences prominence coronal mass ejection space weather multi-spacecraft observations Parker Solar Probe |
| title | A prominence eruption from the Sun to the Parker Solar Probe with multi-spacecraft observations |
| title_full | A prominence eruption from the Sun to the Parker Solar Probe with multi-spacecraft observations |
| title_fullStr | A prominence eruption from the Sun to the Parker Solar Probe with multi-spacecraft observations |
| title_full_unstemmed | A prominence eruption from the Sun to the Parker Solar Probe with multi-spacecraft observations |
| title_short | A prominence eruption from the Sun to the Parker Solar Probe with multi-spacecraft observations |
| title_sort | prominence eruption from the sun to the parker solar probe with multi spacecraft observations |
| topic | prominence coronal mass ejection space weather multi-spacecraft observations Parker Solar Probe |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2023.1191294/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT tatiananiembro aprominenceeruptionfromthesuntotheparkersolarprobewithmultispacecraftobservations AT danielbseaton aprominenceeruptionfromthesuntotheparkersolarprobewithmultispacecraftobservations AT philliphess aprominenceeruptionfromthesuntotheparkersolarprobewithmultispacecraftobservations AT davidberghmans aprominenceeruptionfromthesuntotheparkersolarprobewithmultispacecraftobservations AT vincenzoandretta aprominenceeruptionfromthesuntotheparkersolarprobewithmultispacecraftobservations AT katharinekreeves aprominenceeruptionfromthesuntotheparkersolarprobewithmultispacecraftobservations AT peteriley aprominenceeruptionfromthesuntotheparkersolarprobewithmultispacecraftobservations AT michaellstevens aprominenceeruptionfromthesuntotheparkersolarprobewithmultispacecraftobservations AT federicolandini aprominenceeruptionfromthesuntotheparkersolarprobewithmultispacecraftobservations AT clementinasasso aprominenceeruptionfromthesuntotheparkersolarprobewithmultispacecraftobservations AT cisverbeeck aprominenceeruptionfromthesuntotheparkersolarprobewithmultispacecraftobservations AT robertosusino aprominenceeruptionfromthesuntotheparkersolarprobewithmultispacecraftobservations AT michelauslenghi aprominenceeruptionfromthesuntotheparkersolarprobewithmultispacecraftobservations AT tatiananiembro prominenceeruptionfromthesuntotheparkersolarprobewithmultispacecraftobservations AT danielbseaton prominenceeruptionfromthesuntotheparkersolarprobewithmultispacecraftobservations AT philliphess prominenceeruptionfromthesuntotheparkersolarprobewithmultispacecraftobservations AT davidberghmans prominenceeruptionfromthesuntotheparkersolarprobewithmultispacecraftobservations AT vincenzoandretta prominenceeruptionfromthesuntotheparkersolarprobewithmultispacecraftobservations AT katharinekreeves prominenceeruptionfromthesuntotheparkersolarprobewithmultispacecraftobservations AT peteriley prominenceeruptionfromthesuntotheparkersolarprobewithmultispacecraftobservations AT michaellstevens prominenceeruptionfromthesuntotheparkersolarprobewithmultispacecraftobservations AT federicolandini prominenceeruptionfromthesuntotheparkersolarprobewithmultispacecraftobservations AT clementinasasso prominenceeruptionfromthesuntotheparkersolarprobewithmultispacecraftobservations AT cisverbeeck prominenceeruptionfromthesuntotheparkersolarprobewithmultispacecraftobservations AT robertosusino prominenceeruptionfromthesuntotheparkersolarprobewithmultispacecraftobservations AT michelauslenghi prominenceeruptionfromthesuntotheparkersolarprobewithmultispacecraftobservations |