While the annular solar eclipse attracted widespread public attention, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration leaders gathered at the Albuquerque International Balloon Festival to evaluate their own solar observations.

“Ultimately, as NASA and NOAA work with European partners to create a system that can observe the Sun from a variety of perspectives, we will refine our models and ultimately improve our predictions of solar activity and its effects on Earth,” Michael said. Deputy Secretary of Commerce Morgan, responsible for environmental monitoring and forecasting, said: Space News.

By this time, NOAA’s main tool for observing the sun was gone.

“The loss of the current coronagraph could keep me awake at night,” said Bill Murtagh, program coordinator for NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center. Murtagh said NASA’s LASCO Coronagraph, launched in 1995 at the European Space Agency’s Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, “is vital to our predictive capabilities.”

Fortunately, replacements are on the way.

Compact coronagraphs

The first of these is the Compact Coronagraph, one of the GOES-U vehicles in the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R series, which is planned to be launched on a Falcon Heavy rocket in April. The compact coronagraph will observe the Sun’s outer atmosphere and coronal mass ejections (CMEs).

A second compact coronagraph will fly aboard the NOAA Weather Tracking satellite. In 2025, the SWFO-L1 satellite will travel to the L-1 Lagrange point around Earth with NASA’s Interstellar Mapping and Accelerator Probe.

“Advanced capabilities and robustness” will improve solar activity measurements, said Elsaid Talaat, director of NOAA’s Office of Space Weather Observations.

Murtagh added that both coronagraphs are essential for space weather warnings. “I cannot create a warning system through a single system. We want a discount.”

exchange of observations

A partnership with the European Space Agency will provide additional observations of solar flares and CMEs for NOAA’s models and forecasts. Murtagh said solar activity represents “a global threat that requires a global response.” “The United States cannot do this alone.”

ESA’s Vigil mission, formerly known as Lagrange, is expected to begin its journey to Lagrange Point 5 in 2029. Vigil observations at an angle of 60 degrees from the Sun-Earth line will complement the SWFO L-1 measurements.

“Together they will provide us with a multidimensional perspective. “We will know if and when CMEs will hit Earth,” Murtagh said. “This is an important addition to the model.”

solar maximum

Solar activity affects satellites and ground infrastructure such as the power grid.

“We are developing technology at an extraordinary pace,” Murtagh said. “As we introduce new systems, new technologies, new processes, we often introduce new vulnerabilities into space weather that we don’t fully understand until unfortunate events occur.” geomagnetic radiation”. storm”.

The current 11-year solar cycle is expected to peak in 2025.

“More reliable space weather information will help,” Talat said. “Statistically we see the largest storms on the slope of the solar maximum.”

As for the current solar cycle, the situation could be even worse. Murtagh said solar activity was increasing “faster and stronger” than expected when measuring sunspots. “But we haven’t had high-level storms hitting the Earth. Many missed us. We have seen several large explosions that were not directed towards Earth.” Source