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Solar storm blasts Cluster

13 November 2001

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Credits: SOHO/LASCO (ESA, NASA)

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(Left ) A Coronal Mass Ejection erupted from the Sun at 17:00 GMT (18:00 CET) on 4 November. (Centre) Travelling at almost the speed of light, high energy protons arrived at SOHO at 18:37 GMT (19:37 CET), causing a “snowstorm” on the spacecraft’s imaging instruments. (Right) By 6 November the number of incoming protons had significantly decreased. Data courtesy of the SOHO/LASCO consortium

Credits: SOHO/LASCO (ESA/NASA)

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The data show that the magnetosphere was actually compressed and then expanded on two occasions. Cluster first entered the solar wind at around 02:00 GMT. The spacecraft then crossed back into the magnetosphere before a second compression between 04:00 and 05:10 GMT left them once again in the solar wind. (Top) FGM data show how the magnetic field suddenly increased above 100 nT at about 02:00 GMT and remained high for many hours. (Centre) Data from the RAPID instrument show two sudden increases in high energy protons (above 10 MeV) after the arrival of the CME. (Bottom) STAFF data show large magnetic waves associated with the solar wind when the spacecraft passed outside the magnetosphere. Data courtesy of A. Balogh, IC, London, P. Daly, MPAe, Germany, and N. Cornilleau, CETP, France.

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The location of the spacecraft after the magnetosphere was squeezed by the CME. This resulted in the flotilla orbiting outside the Earth’s magnetic shield.

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Aurora in Scotland near Edinburgh on 6 November 2001.

Credits: Alexandre Vieira-Linhares, Scotland, UK