The Solar-Terrestrial Centre of Excellence (STCE) is a collaborative network of the Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy, the Royal Observatory of Belgium and the Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium.
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Published by the STCE - this issue : 15 Nov 2012. The Solar-Terrestrial Centre of Excellence (STCE) is a collaborative network of the Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy, the Royal Observatory of Belgium and the Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium. |
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Because of the solar eclipse visible from Australia, we sent the following message to the press.
Naar aanleiding van de zonsverduistering zichtbaar vanuit Australië, hebben we onderstaand bericht naar de pers gestuurd.
Suite à la éclipse solaire en Australie, nous avons envoyé le note ci-dessous à la presse.
At 6:38 on November 14 local time (21:38 on November 13 Belgian time) astronomers and sky watchers of all kinds were treated to a total solar eclipse in Australia. For scientists who study the sun, a total solar eclipse is a unique chance to observe the solar atmosphere, or the solar corona, in all its glory. Under normal circumstances the light coming from the corona is too faint to see because of the blinding effect of the solar disk. During a total solar eclipse the moon blocks the bright light from the surface of the sun, leaving the corona visible.
Scientists plan to compare visible light images of the Australian eclipse with images taken in space in extreme ultraviolet light. The SWAP telescope, made in Belgium and carried onboard the ESA satellite PROBA2, was one of several instruments used for this. At the same time as observers in Australia watched the eclipse, PROBA2's orbit in space gave the satellite a clear view of the sun, allowing astronomers to obtain extreme ultraviolet images that can be used to match features seen during the eclipse to their source regions on the sun itself.
A Belgian scientist, Dr. Anik De Groof, travelled to Australia to track the eclipse from the ground.
"SWAP is able to observe the inner corona right down to the solar surface," she said. "Other instruments, called coronagraphs, mimic a solar eclipse by blocking out the sun with an occulting disc. Such instruments can reveal the corona in visible light, but only at a significant height above the solar surface. Only during a total solar eclipse like the one in Australia we can obtain observations that can be directly compared with the extreme ultraviolet images we get from space-based instruments like SWAP. With observations of the corona in visible light from a small army of solar observers on the ground in Australia and observations in extreme ultraviolet light from SWAP we can help answer some fundamental questions about the heating and structure of the corona and the origins of the solar wind."
Een totale zonsverduistering was zichtbaar in Australië op 14 november, 06:38 lokale tijd (13 november, 21:38 Belgische tijd). Voor wetenschappers en zonnewaarnemers is een totale zonsverduistering een unieke kans om de zonneatmosfeer of zonnecorona in al haar pracht en glorie waar te nemen. Tijdens een totale zonsverduistering blokkeert de maan het felle zonlicht en blijft enkel het zwakkere licht van de zonneatmosfeer zichtbaar.
Wetenschappers willen de beelden van de zonnecorona gemaakt vanuit Australië vergelijken met beelden in het extreem ultraviolet licht die gemaakt zijn vanuit de ruimte. Hiervoor werd SWAP ingezet, een instrument van Belgische makelij aan boord van de ESA-satelliet PROBA2. Terwijl zonnewaarnemers in Australië de zonnecorona van op de grond in zichtbaar licht zagen, cirkelde PROBA2 boven hun hoofden in de ruimte en observeerde de zonnecorona en het zonneoppervlak in extreem ultraviolet licht.
Een Belgische wetenschapper, Dr. Anik De Groof, reisde af naar Australië om de waarnemingen van op de aarde van dichtbij te volgen: 'SWAP is in staat om de corona in het extreem ultraviolet in beeld te brengen, zowel dichtbij het zonneoppervlak als ver daarbuiten. Coronografen kunnen een zonsverduistering nabootsen door een plaatje voor de zon te houden, maar je kan hiermee niet het stuk van de corona dichtbij het zonneoppervlak observeren. Dit is enkel mogelijk tijdens een echte zonsverduistering. De zonsverduistering in Australië was onze kans: we hebben nu waarnemingen van de corona dicht bij het zonneoppervlak, enerzijds gemaakt in het EUV vanuit de ruimte met ons eigen instrument, en anderzijds gemaakt in het zichtbaar licht van op de aarde door een heel leger zonnewaarnemers. We hopen zo antwoorden te vinden op fundamentele vragen over de structuur van de corona en waarom deze zo heet is.'
Une éclipse solaire totale a eu lieu en Australie ce 14 novembre à 06:38, heure locale (le 13 novembre 21:38, heure belge). Un tel évènement revêt toujours un grand intérêt pour les astronomes s'intéressant au soleil, car il s'agit d'une opportunité exceptionnelle d'observer l'atmosphère de l'astre, ou couronne solaire, dans sa totalité et toute sa splendeur. En effet, au cours d'une éclipse totale, la lune cache intégralement le disque solaire qui constitue en temps normal la source d'émission lumineuse dominante du soleil. L'éclipse révèle ainsi la couronne, nettement plus ténue que la lumière visible du disque.
À l'occasion de cette éclipse, les scientifiques souhaitaient comparer les images obtenues en Australie avec celle acquises depuis l'espace dans le domaine de l'extrême ultraviolet (EUV). L'un des instruments utilisés à cet effet est le télescope SWAP, construit en Belgique et volant à bord du satellite PROBA2 de l'ESA. Tandis que les astronomes présents en Australie pouvaient admirer la couronne solaire dans le domaine visible, SWAP évoluait au-dessus de leurs têtes et acquérait des images de cette même couronne dans le domaine de l'EUV.
"SWAP est capable de réaliser des observations de la couronne solaire dans le domaine de l'EUV jusqu'à la surface du soleil", explique le Dr. Anik De Groof, une scientifique belge envoyée en Australie pour suivre la campagne d'observation au sol. "D'autres instruments, appelés coronographes, peuvent simuler des éclipses en masquant la lumière émise par le disque solaire à l'aide d'un disque occulteur. De tels instruments permettent d'observer la couronne à tout moment dans le domaine de la lumière visible, mais seulement à une certaine distance au-dessus de la surface solaire, qu'ils sont obligés de cacher. Les observations en lumière visible à proximité de la surface sont seulement possibles lors d'éclipses totales telles que celle-ci. À présent, nous disposons d'observations de la couronne jusqu'à la surface du soleil, d'une part dans le domaine EUV grâce à notre télescope SWAP, et d'autre part dans le visible grâce à une véritable armée d'astronomes observant le phénomène depuis la surface de la Terre. Ces observations nous aideront dans l'investigation de certaines questions fondamentales en physique solaire qui restent sans réponse à l'heure actuelle, telles que celles concernant le chauffage et la structure de la couronne, ainsi que l'origine du vent solaire."
Meer - Plus - More http://proba2.oma.be/news/solar_eclipse_20121113
With the blog of Dr. Anik De Groof with some fantastic pictures.
Solar activity was low to moderate during the week, with two M class flares which occurred on the East limb on Nov. 8, 0223 UT peak time (M1.7) and on Nov. 11, 0233 UT peak time (M1).
Two CMEs occurred on Nov. 8: a CME related to the M1.7 flare of Nov. 8, and a backsided halo CME, which took place on Nov. 8, 1112 UT (LASCO observations). This second event is the most likely candidate for a mild proton activity.The proton flux (>10 MeV) slightly rose above background level from Nov. 8, 1500 UT, until late Nov. 11, without crossing the event threshold.
Two halo or semi-halo CMEs occurred on Nov. 9 and Nov. 10 in the vicinity of NOAA AR 1608. The first one was linked to a filament eruption and was observed by LASCO at 1536 UT. The second event was linked to a C2 flare (0504 UT peak time) in NOAA AR 1608, and was visible in COR2 A at 0539 UT. Both events are Earth-directed and therefore possibly geoeffective.
Geomagnetic activity was very low during the week, with only a short period of active conditions (Kp=4) at planetary levels on Nov. 7 from 18 to 21 UT.
| DAY | BEGIN | MAX | END | LOC | XRAY | OP | 10CM | TYPE | Cat | NOAA | NOTE |
| 8 | 0208 | 0223 | 0255 | N13E89 | M1.7 | 0 | III/3 V/2 II/3 | 1611 | Limb event | ||
| 11 | 0211 | 0233 | 0252 | N15E89 | M1.0 | 0 | III/2 II/1 | 1614 | Limb event |
| LOC: approximate heliographic location | TYPE: radio burst type |
| XRAY: X-ray flare class | Cat: Catania sunspot group number |
| OP: optical flare class | NOAA: NOAA active region number |
| 10CM: peak 10 cm radio flux |
http://www.spaceweather.eu/en/repository/show?id=298
Poster for the Session 1: Solar Magnetism and the Solar Cycle
http://www.spaceweather.eu/en/repository/show?id=299
Poster for the Session 1: Solar Magnetism and the Solar Cycle
http://www.spaceweather.eu/en/repository/show?id=300
Poster for the Session 1: Solar Magnetism and the Solar Cycle
http://www.spaceweather.eu/en/repository/show?id=301
Poster for the Session 2: Processes of slow/steady energy release in the solar atmosphere
http://www.spaceweather.eu/en/repository/show?id=302
http://www.spaceweather.eu/en/repository/show?id=303
Poster for the Session 2: Processes of slow/steady energy release in the solar atmosphere
http://www.spaceweather.eu/en/repository/show?id=304
Poster for the Session 2: Processes of slow/steady energy release in the solar atmosphere
http://www.spaceweather.eu/en/repository/show?id=305
Poster for the Session 2: Processes of slow/steady energy release in the solar atmosphere
http://www.spaceweather.eu/en/repository/show?id=306
Poster for the Session 2: Processes of slow/steady energy release in the solar atmosphere
http://www.spaceweather.eu/en/repository/show?id=307
Poster for the Session 2: Processes of slow/steady energy release in the solar atmosphere
http://www.spaceweather.eu/en/repository/show?id=308
Poster for the Session 2: Processes of slow/steady energy release in the solar atmosphere
http://www.spaceweather.eu/en/repository/show?id=309
Poster for the Session 2: Processes of slow/steady energy release in the solar atmosphere
http://www.spaceweather.eu/en/repository/show?id=310
Poster for the Session 3: Eruptive processes in the solar atmosphere and their manifestations in the heliosphere
http://www.spaceweather.eu/en/repository/show?id=311
Poster for the Session 3: Eruptive processes in the solar atmosphere and their manifestations in the heliosphere
http://www.spaceweather.eu/en/repository/show?id=312
Poster for the Session 3: Eruptive processes in the solar atmosphere and their manifestations in the heliosphere
http://www.spaceweather.eu/en/repository/show?id=313
Poster for the Session 3: Eruptive processes in the solar atmosphere and their manifestations in the heliosphere
http://www.spaceweather.eu/en/repository/show?id=314
Poster for the Session 3: Eruptive processes in the solar atmosphere and their manifestations in the heliosphere
http://www.spaceweather.eu/en/repository/show?id=315
Poster for the Session 3: Eruptive processes in the solar atmosphere and their manifestations in the heliosphere
http://www.spaceweather.eu/en/repository/show?id=316
Poster for the Session 3: Eruptive processes in the solar atmosphere and their manifestations in the heliosphere
http://www.spaceweather.eu/en/repository/show?id=317
Poster for the Session 3: Eruptive processes in the solar atmosphere and their manifestations in the heliosphere
http://www.spaceweather.eu/en/repository/show?id=318
Poster for the Session 3: Eruptive processes in the solar atmosphere and their manifestations in the heliosphere
http://www.spaceweather.eu/en/repository/show?id=319
Poster for the Session 3: Eruptive processes in the solar atmosphere and their manifestations in the heliosphere
http://www.spaceweather.eu/en/repository/show?id=320
Poster for the Session 3: Eruptive processes in the solar atmosphere and their manifestations in the heliosphere
http://www.spaceweather.eu/en/repository/show?id=321
Poster for the Session 3: Eruptive processes in the solar atmosphere and their manifestations in the heliosphere
http://www.spaceweather.eu/en/repository/show?id=322
Poster for the Session 3: Eruptive processes in the solar atmosphere and their manifestations in the heliosphere
http://www.spaceweather.eu/en/repository/show?id=323
Poster for the Session 3: Eruptive processes in the solar atmosphere and their manifestations in the heliosphere
http://www.spaceweather.eu/en/repository/show?id=324
Poster for the Session 3: Eruptive processes in the solar atmosphere and their manifestations in the heliosphere
http://www.spaceweather.eu/en/repository/show?id=325
Poster for the Session 3: Eruptive processes in the solar atmosphere and their manifestations in the heliosphere
http://www.spaceweather.eu/en/repository/show?id=326
Poster for the Session 3: Eruptive processes in the solar atmosphere and their manifestations in the heliosphere
http://www.spaceweather.eu/en/repository/show?id=327
Poster for the Session 3: Eruptive processes in the solar atmosphere and their manifestations in the heliosphere
http://www.spaceweather.eu/en/repository/show?id=328
Poster for the Session 4: Data assimilation, visualization and analysis
http://www.spaceweather.eu/en/repository/show?id=329
Poster for the Session 4: Data assimilation, visualization and analysis
http://www.spaceweather.eu/en/repository/show?id=330
Poster for the Session 4: Data assimilation, visualization and analysis
http://www.spaceweather.eu/en/repository/show?id=331
Poster for the Session 4: Data assimilation, visualization and analysis
http://www.spaceweather.eu/en/repository/show?id=332
Poster for the Session 4: Data assimilation, visualization and analysis
http://www.spaceweather.eu/en/repository/show?id=333
Poster for the Session 4: Data assimilation, visualization and analysis
http://www.spaceweather.eu/en/repository/show?id=334
Poster for the Session 4: Data assimilation, visualization and analysis
http://www.spaceweather.eu/en/repository/show?id=335
A one-day session and workshop was held on the subject of Geomagnetically Induced Currents (GIC) in electrical power networks at the 8th European Space Weather Week, in Namur, Belgium, on 30th November 2011. We describe the questions that were posed at the workshop and summarise the outcomes of the discussions. Among the conclusions reached were the need for improved Sun to Earth numerical models and the need for continued national and international support for space weather monitoring missions and ground networks of instruments. It was also concluded that there was much scope for improved national and international responses to space weather warnings and the need for collaboration between scientists, industry and governments to achieve this.
1.
http://www.spaceweather.eu/en/repository/show?id=336
Talk in the session Solar Magnetism and the Solar Cycle
http://www.spaceweather.eu/en/repository/show?id=337
Start : 2013-01-14 - End : 2013-01-17
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), an
international partnership of Europe, North America and East Asia in
cooperation with the Republic of Chile, is the largest astronomical
project in existence.
The workshop aims to bring together the ALMA-minded solar
community to discuss solar observational issues with ALMA, solar
science and planned observations with ALMA, and the planning of
solar ALMA observations.
Th workshop is hosted by Astronomy & Astrophysics Group,
and will take place in School of Physics and Astronomy, University
of Glasgow, Room 323, Kelvin Building.
Website:
http://www.astro.gla.ac.uk/~eduard/solarALMA/
Start : 2013-02-04 - End : 2013-02-08
Helioseismology provides tools for imaging structures and mass
flows below the solar surface, and is becoming an essential
technique for understanding the dynamics of solar activities and
developing physics-based forecasts of the solar cycle, emerging
active regions and energy release events. A better understanding is
needed to unravel the effects of the complex interactions of solar
oscillations with the turbulent magnetized plasma
on global and local helioseismology
diagnostics. These effects are particularly challenging in regions
of strong magnetic fields. Numerical simulations of solar MHD waves
and turbulent dynamics give important insights into the complicated
wave and turbulence physics, and provide synthetic data for
verification and validation of helioseismology methods and
results.
The goals of this workshop are to discuss and stimulate further
development of helioseismology methods, solar interior models, and
realistic numerical simulations. These goals are particularly
important for analysis of the continuous data flow from the Solar
Dynamics Observatory, development and verification of
helioseismology methods, and for theoretical interpretation of
observations and inversion results.
Website:
http://sun.stanford.edu/LWS2013/
Start : 2013-02-28 - End : 2013-02-28
On February 28th, 2013 the AFFECTS team organises an
international user workshop at the Royal Observatory of Belgium in
Brussels.
At the workshop there will be a demonstration of all AFFECTS
space weather
products:
* Near real time dimming and EIT
wave detection
* 3D CME
analysis tool
* Coronal analysis tool
* CME
& solar wind
arrival and impact forecast
tool
* Flare, CME
, geomagnetic, auroral, ionospheric
forecasts & alerts
* Forecast of perturbed TEC
* Solar activity and space weather
timelines viewer
To register, please send an e-mail incl. your full name,
institution, e-mail and (institutional) address to
.
Dörte Dannemann
Website:
http://www.affects-fp7.eu/news-events/user-ws/
Start : 2013-04-07 - End : 2013-04-12
The EGU General Assembly 2013 will bring together geoscientists
from all over the world into one meeting covering all disciplines
of the Earth, Planetary and Space Sciences. Especially for young
scientists, it is the aim of the EGU to provide a forum where they
can present their work and discuss their ideas with experts in all
fields of geosciences. The EGU is looking forward to cordially
welcoming you in Vienna.
Website:
http://www.egu2013.eu/home.html
Start : 2013-04-08 - End : 2013-04-12
The most recent solar minimum, solar cycle 23-24 minimum, was
unusually long (266 spotless days in 2008, the most since 1913),
and the magnetic field at the solar poles was approximately 40%
weaker than the last cycle; and unusually complex (the solar wind
was characterized by a warped
heliospheric current sheet, HCS, and fast-wind
streams at low latitudes: the
fast-wind
threads the ecliptic
more commonly in 2008 than 1996.)
This complexity resulted in many effects observed from Sun to
Earth, with many observations indicating unusual conditions on the
Sun, in the heliosphere
, and in the magnetosphere
, ionosphere
, and upper atmosphere of the
Earth.
This remarkable set of conditions provide the scientific
community with an exceptional opportunity to assess the nature and
structure of a very quiet Sun, and an upper atmosphere relatively
devoid of solar influences, helping to provide a better
understanding of the relative roles of solar activity and internal
variability in the dynamics of the Earth's upper atmosphere and
ionosphere
. Such an understanding requires a
multidisciplinary approach.
The main goal of the conference is to bring together the solar,
heliospheric, magnetospheric, upper atmosphere, and ionospheric
communities to debate and discuss interdisciplinary work and reach
a better understanding of the nature and structure of a very quiet
Sun, and of an upper atmosphere relatively devoid of solar
influences, and in doing so, to help clarify the role of solar
activity in the dynamics and variability of the Earth's upper
atmosphere and ionosphere
relative to the internal
variations.
Website:
http://chapman.agu.org/solarminimum/
Start : 2013-05-06 - End : 2013-05-10
In the last 50 years, helioseismology has made significant
contributions to the knowledge of the Sun's interior physics
and has led the way to asteroseismology. We have now reached an era
where more sophisticated questions are being asked to understand
the subtle properties of the Sun and other stars due to the
synoptic and high-resolution observations available from BISON,
GONG and space missions such as SOHO
, SDO, CoRot and Kepler.
On this occasion, a workshop on the theme of '50 years of the
seismology of the Sun and stars' is being organized to reflect the
progress that has been made as well as to focus on future goals. We
plan to bring together helio- and asteroseismologists, theorists
and observers in a journey that will take us from the interior of
the Sun and its magnetism towards the structure of distant stars
and activity cycles.
Website:
http://www.nso.edu/workshops/2013
Start : 2013-06-23 - End : 2013-06-29
The 2013 ILWS Science Workshop will take place June 23-29, 2013
in Irkutsk, Russia and will be hosted by the Institute of
Solar-Terrestrial Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Website:
http://en.iszf.irk.ru/ILWS_2013
Start : 2013-07-16 - End : 2013-07-25
The Summer School Alpbach enjoys 36 years of tradition in
providing in-depth teaching on different topics of space science
& technology, featuring lectures and concentrated working
sessions on mission studies in self-organised working groups. 60
young highly qualified European science and engineering students
converge annually for stimulating 10 days of work in the Austrian
Alps. 4 teams compete to design a space mission judged by a jury of
experts. Students learn how to approach the design of a satellite
mission and explore new and startling ideas supported by experts.
The Summer School 2013 will focus on Space Weather
.
The purpose of the Summer School is to foster the practical
application of knowledge derived from lectures, to develop
organisational and team-work skills and to encourage creativity.
Teams will compete to design the best project, judged by an
independent jury. The teams themselves are responsible for the
selection of the subject of the project and for the team structure
and working methods.
Website:
http://www.summerschoolalpbach.at/
Start : 2013-09-09 - End : 2013-09-14
We gain information about the universe through analysis of the
spectra from celestial objects. However, while the intensity
spectrum represents a scalar quantity but electromagnetic radiation
occurs in the form of transverse waves, the polarized spectrum
provides us with a 4-vector, the Stokes vector. The increased
amount of information space opens new windows to the universe, in
particular for the exploration of magnetic fields. It is well
recognized that the magnetic field is a primary agent responsible
for structuring and the source of all variability on intermediate
time scales, which manifests itself in all forms of solar and
stellar activity.
It is therefore not surprising that every year there are many
scientific meetings organized with the objective of studying the
role of magnetic fields in cosmic objects. What is largely missing
in these meetings is however an in-depth investigation of the
fundamental aspects of how magnetic fields can be determined by the
means of spectro-polarimetry, our main gateway to cosmic magnetism.
The primary aim of our series of Workshops is to address these
fundamental aspects, with less emphasis on the morphological and
physical properties of cosmic magnetic fields.
Website: http://spw7.ynao.ac.cn/
Start : 2014-08-02 - End : 2014-08-10
The 40th COSPAR Scientific Assembly will be held in Moscow,
Russia from 2 - 10 August 2014. This Assembly is open to all bona
fide scientists.
Website:
http://www.cospar-assembly.org/