Logo image
CME Evolution in the Structured Heliosphere and Effects at Earth and Mars During Solar Minimum
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

CME Evolution in the Structured Heliosphere and Effects at Earth and Mars During Solar Minimum

Erika Palmerio, Christina O Lee, Ian G Richardson, Teresa Nieves-Chinchilla, Luiz F G Dos Santos, Jacob R Gruesbeck, Nariaki V Nitta, M Leila Mays, Jasper S Halekas, Cary Zeitlin, …
Space weather, Vol.20(9), e2022SW003215
09/2022
DOI: 10.1029/2022SW003215
url
https://doi.org/10.1029/2022SW003215View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

The activity of the Sun alternates between a solar minimum and a solar maximum, the former corresponding to a period of “quieter” status of the heliosphere. During solar minimum, it is in principle more straightforward to follow eruptive events and solar wind structures from their birth at the Sun throughout their interplanetary journey. In this paper, we report analysis of the origin, evolution, and heliospheric impact of a series of solar transient events that took place during the second half of August 2018, that is, in the midst of the late declining phase of Solar Cycle 24. In particular, we focus on two successive coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and a following high-speed stream (HSS) on their way toward Earth and Mars. We find that the first CME impacted both planets, whilst the second caused a strong magnetic storm at Earth and went on to miss Mars, which nevertheless experienced space weather effects from the stream interacting region preceding the HSS. Analysis of remote-sensing and in-situ data supported by heliospheric modeling suggests that CME–HSS interaction resulted in the second CME rotating and deflecting in interplanetary space, highlighting that accurately reproducing the ambient solar wind is crucial even during “simpler” solar minimum periods. Lastly, we discuss the upstream solar wind conditions and transient structures responsible for driving space weather effects at Earth and Mars.
Solar Physics

Details

Logo image