Co-rotating Interaction Region (CIR) Detection

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Carbon60
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Co-rotating Interaction Region (CIR) Detection

Post by Carbon60 »

One advantage of a relatively quite Sun, such as now, is that weak geomagnetic events can be detected that would otherwise be missed in the maelstrom of geomagnetic activity resulting from an active Sun. The magnetic impulse of a CIR (Co-rotating Interaction Region) is one such event recently detected on my magnetometer.

A CIR represents the boundary between 'regular' solar wind and faster flowing solar wind from a coronal hole. https://ase.tufts.edu/cosmos/view_picture.asp?id=125. At the boundary between plasma travelling at different speeds, the interplanetary magnetic field is compressed and intensified and this creates geoeffective magnetic disturbances in our local magnetic field, when the region reaches Earth, that can be detected by magnetometers at ground level.

Here are my data from my magnetometer here in the UK, illustrating when the CIR struck.
20171114_CIR.jpg
20171114_CIR.jpg (174.37 KiB) Viewed 3414 times
This shows good correlation with NOAA data from the DSCOVR satellite located upwind at the L1 Lagrange point at a distance of 1.5 million km towards the Sun. At the time the impulse reached the satellite, the average solar wind speed was around 350-400 km/s, meaning an approximate 1-2 hr delay between the DSCOVR readings and the impulse reaching Earth.

NOAA Data from DSCOVR satellite.
20171114_NOAA data.jpg
20171114_NOAA data.jpg (321.73 KiB) Viewed 3414 times
This weak event didn't spark any geomagnetic storms or aurorae, but it was interesting to see the wiggles on my magnetometer bearing witness to the event.

Thanks for looking.

Stu.


H-alpha, WL and Ca II K imaging kit for various image scales.
Fluxgate Magnetometers (1s and 150s Cadence).
Radio meteor detector.
More images at http://www.flickr.com/photos/solarcarbon60/
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Re: Co-rotating Interaction Region (CIR) Detection

Post by Montana »

Great data Stu, and always nice to see it verified from other sources :hamster:
Alexandra


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Re: Co-rotating Interaction Region (CIR) Detection

Post by marktownley »

Great data Stu! I will be keeping an eye open for your updates when we're in Iceland next month.


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Carbon60
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Re: Co-rotating Interaction Region (CIR) Detection

Post by Carbon60 »

Many thanks, Alexandra/Mark. I always appreciate your feedback.

Let me know when you're in Iceland, Mark, and I'll aim to make a special set of geomag reports for you.

Stu.


H-alpha, WL and Ca II K imaging kit for various image scales.
Fluxgate Magnetometers (1s and 150s Cadence).
Radio meteor detector.
More images at http://www.flickr.com/photos/solarcarbon60/
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Re: Co-rotating Interaction Region (CIR) Detection

Post by highfnum »

how clever
this is news to me


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