A new video from NASA’s Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere (PUNCH) mission is showing what this first-of-its-kind spacecraft can do. Launched on March 11, PUNCH is in polar orbit, creating 3D observations of the Sun’s outer atmosphere.
The mission aims to improve space weather predictions by observing Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs), which cause eruptions of charged particles from the Sun. A stunning timelapse video shows these eruptions, taken from May to June using PUNCH’s Wide Field Imagers and Narrow Field Imager.
According to Craig DeForest, PUNCH principal investigator, the mission is showing promising results. “These preliminary movies show that PUNCH can track space weather across the solar system and view the corona and solar wind as a single system,” he said.
CMEs can impact Earth’s technology, including GPS and power grids, and create vibrant displays of Northern Lights. The PUNCH mission comes at a significant time, with the Sun reaching solar maximum last year in Solar Cycle 25. NASA says this mission will help scientists better understand and predict space weather events like CMEs, which can cause geomagnetic storms.
As the spacecraft reach their final formation, the mission aims to track the solar wind and space weather in 3D throughout the neighborhood of space.
Source: https://www.foxweather.com/earth-space/cme-sun-video-nasa-punch-mission