#solar-wind — Public Fediverse posts

When the #SolarWind interacts with charged particles in the upper Martian #atmosphere, a long magnetic tail forms and extends behind #Mars.

NASA’s #MAVEN probe has shown that this #magnetotail is particularly dynamic: it twists, shifts, ... #Flapping phenomena have also been observed by the Chinese Tianwen-1 orbiter.

Researchers suggest that the flapping of Mars magnetotail should result from magnetic #reconnexion : https://eos.org/research-spotlights/what-makes-marss-magnetotail-flap

Ubiquitous Small-scale Dynamics in the Slow #SolarWind Formation Region Observed by Proba-3/ASPIICS: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/ae469b -> First Proba-3 science - surprisingly speedy solar wind: https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/First_Proba-3_science_surprisingly_speedy_solar_wind

Red, green... and sometimes even blue #aurorae visible at mid-latitudes! A rare spectacle, evidence of an intense episode of #spaceweather.

Green and red auroras result from interactions between the #SolarWind and atmospheric #oxygen molecules. Much rarer, blue emissions are caused by the excitation of #nitrogen molecules. All of these phenomena reflect specific conditions in the atmosphere and the flux of incoming particles, which #SpaceWeather models must account for: https://www.irap.omp.eu/en/2026/03/a-blue-aurora-observed-in-our-part-of-the-world-a-rare-and-revealing-phenomenon/

Wer verrät der #Union, dass Sonne und Wind nicht durch die Straße von Hormus müssen? 🤔

Spoiler: RWE und E.ON werden es nicht machen 🤬

#pv #SolarWind #windenergie #Energiewende #Autarkie #DeutschlandEnergiepolitik #DeutschlandEnergie #gaskathi #DieselDieter #dieseldoris #RWE #eon

COMING UP: the next lecture in our public lecture series “Im Feuerwerk der Sonne”. On Thursday, March 12th, at 7 PM, learn all about the #SolarWind including new research results. In German. More here: https://www.mps.mpg.de/im-feuerwerk-der-sonne ☀️🔭
#Sun #SpaceWeather @thegoecampus

COMING UP: the next lecture in our public lecture series “Im Feuerwerk der Sonne”. On Thursday, March 12th, at 7 PM, learn all about the #SolarWind including new research results. In German. More here: www.mps.mpg.de/im-feuerwerk... ☀️🔭 #Sun #SpaceWeather @[email protected]

#ESA:
"
Smile arrives at Europe’s Spaceport
"
"The Smile spacecraft has arrived at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. During the coming weeks, the spacecraft will go through final preparations for its launch on a Vega-C rocket between 8 April and 7 May."

https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Smile/Smile_arrives_at_Europe_s_Spaceport

9.3.2026

#CAS #CSG #Kourou #Raumfahrt #Raumsonde #Smile #SpaceFlight #SolarWind #Sonnenwind #Vega #VegaC #VV29 #Weltraumwetter

Artemis II: Sending Humans Beyond the Magnetosphere 🌑🧑‍🚀

#Artemis #Magnetosphere #MannedSpaceFlight #Moon #RadiationExposure #SolarWind #SpaceWeather #SunEarthMoonInteractions

⏩ 1 new picture and 1 new video from NASA (SVS) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:ListFiles?limit=2&user=OptimusPrimeBot&ilshowall=1&offset=20260306125534

Dinge, die mich seit meiner privaten #Energiewende nicht mehr interessieren:

Diesel- und Gaspreise 🛢🔥

Das Rezept ist denkbar einfach:

➡️ fahrt elektrisch 🔋🚗👍🏻

➡️ heizt elektrisch ⚡️♨️👍🏻

➡️ macht den Strom selbst 🌞🏡👍🏻

#waermewende #iran #USA #FossilLobby #fossilfuels #Dubai #libanon #waermepumpe #eauto #PVbuddies #pv #solar #SolarWind

Using joint observations from the #Tianwen-1 in the #solarwind and #MAVEN in the induced #magnetosphere, Lin et al. identified a magnetic barrier between #Mars’ #ionosphere and shocked solar wind under the radial #IMF for the first time.

📄 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xinn.2026.101312

#SpacePhysics #PlasmaPhysics #SolarSystem

In recent years, the #ParkerSolarProbe and #SolarOrbiter probes have delivered a wealth of data about our #Sun, its surface—precisely where the #SolarWind originates. The ubiquitous presence of #plasma jets and magnetic field reversals suggests that a significant portion of the wind forms through dynamic processes involving magnetic #reconnection and transient energy releases.

This Thursday, Alexis Rouillard will review recent research on the dynamics of the solar wind: https://www.irap.omp.eu/event/the-tempestuous-origins-of-the-solar-wind-how-parker-and-solar-orbiter-are-probing-our-stars-atmosphere/

#MachineLearning anlysis of 20 years of in situ measurements in the #Earth's #magnetosphere brings new insights on #MagneticReconnection processes:

📄 https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2025GL119118

#SpacePhysics #Plasma #PlasmaPhysics #SolarWind #Reconnection @irap https://social.numerique.gouv.fr/@irap/115966776951772619

[#Magnetic reconnection] In the Earth's space environment, it connects the interplanetary and terrestrial magnetic fields, allowing #plasma from the #SolarWind to penetrate the #magnetosphere, which is otherwise confined.

The use of machine learning algorithms has enabled the analysis of 20 years of data measured in situ by four different space missions in the Earth's magnetosphere... and confirmed the necessary speed of the magnetic reconnection process: https://www.irap.omp.eu/en/2026/01/magnetic-reconnection-models-validated-by-analysis-of-twenty-years-of-measurements/

Earth's Magnetic Shield Protecting The Planet From A Pelting By The Solar Wind
See how the sun's energy drives a remarkable planetary engine, the climate
--
https://youtu.be/6hD52H7rQak?si=OBGYbK8Czbi0uwlc <-- shared video
--
[‘cannibalising’ (sic) my own post (!) to bring attention to this outstanding video visualisation and overview, science education/explanation at its finest!; narrated so well (of course!) by #liamneeson !!]
#GIS #spatial #mapping #geology #structuralgeology #magneticfield #SouthAtlanticAnomaly #SAA #spaceweather #geomagnetism #risk #hazard #hardening #magneticfieldstrength #protection #CME #coronalmassejection #sun #solar #solarwind #visualisation #visualization #education #scienceeducation #overview #explanation
#NASA

NASA Is Watching a Huge Anomaly Growing in Earth's Magnetic Field [SAA]
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https://www.sciencealert.com/nasa-is-watching-a-huge-anomaly-growing-in-earths-magnetic-field <-- shared technical article
--
https://youtu.be/qpdQcw_52iM?si=Hn0EZkOGJOMihC71 <-- shared @nasa video - “NASA Explores Earth's Magnetic 'Dent'”
--
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Atlantic_Anomaly <-- shared SAA wiki
--
https://youtu.be/6hD52H7rQak?si=OBGYbK8Czbi0uwlc <-- shared video – “Watch [a visualisation of how the] Earth's magnetic shield protect[s] the planet from a pelting by the solar wind…” [narrated so well (of course!) by #liamneeson !!!!]
--
#GIS #spatial #mapping #remotesensing #earthobservation #geology #structuralgeology #magneticdent #magneticanomaly #magneticfield #SouthAtlanticAnomaly #SAA #spaceweather #geomagnetism #satellite #SWARM #orbitalspacecraft #spacecraft #risk #hazard #hardening #magneticfieldstrength #protection #CME #coronalmassejection #sun #solar #solarwind #NASA #ESA
@[email protected] @esa

RE: https://mastodon.social/@theperpetuallycurious8/115339788535182889

Auroras do not sit at the poles. They form in oval zones between about 65° and 75° geomagnetic latitude, and during strong storms these ovals can expand toward the equator. ✨

Why do these ovals widen during storms? ↓ Explore more in the article

#SolarWind #Aurora #AuroraBorealis #Science #SpaceWeather #Space #TPC8

The Best of FYFD 2025

Happy 2026! This will be a big year for me. I’ll be finishing up and turning in the manuscript for my first book — which flows between cutting edge research, scientists’ stories, and the societal impacts of fluid physics. It’s a culmination of 15 years of FYFD, rendered into narrative. I’m so excited to share it with you when it’s published in 2027.

As always, though, we’ll kick off the year with a look back at some of FYFD’s most popular posts of 2025. (You can find previous editions, too, for 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, and 2014.) Without further ado, here they are:

• Charged Drops Don’t Splash
• Strata of Starlings
• Espresso in Slow-Mo
• The Incredible Engineering of the Alhambra
• Uranus Emits More Than Thought1
• Kolmogorov Turbulence
• Bow Shock Instability
• How Particles Affect Melting Ice
• The Puquios System of Nazca
• Cooling Tower Demolition
• A Glimpse of the Solar Wind
• Bubbling Up
• A Sprite From Orbit
• Cornflower Roots Growing
• How Sunflowers Follow the Sun

What a great bunch of topics! I’m especially happy to see so many research and research-adjacent posts were popular. And a couple of history-related posts; I don’t write those too often, but I love them for showing just how wide-ranging fluid physics can be.

Interested in keeping up with FYFD in 2026? There are lots of ways to follow along so that you don’t miss a post.

And if you enjoy FYFD, please remember that it’s a reader-supported website. I don’t run ads, and it’s been years since my last sponsored post. You can help support the site by becoming a patron, buying some merch, or simply by sharing on social media. And if you find yourself struggling to remember to check the website, remember you can get FYFD in your inbox every two weeks with our newsletter. Happy New Year!

(Image credits: droplet – F. Yu et al., starlings – K. Cooper, espresso – YouTube/skunkay, fountain – Primal Space, Uranus – NASA, turbulence – C. Amores and M. Graham, capsule – A. Álvarez and A. Lozano-Duran, melting ice – S. Bootsma et al., puquios – Wikimedia, cooling towers – BBC, solar wind – NASA/APL/NRL, Lake Baikal – K. Makeeva, sprite – NASA, roots – W. van Egmond, sunflowers – Deep Look)

1. I know what I did. ↩︎

Wanna see an amazing uninterrupted multi-day timelapse of the plasma tail of comet #Lemmon blowing the #SolarWind in October/November? It's happening in the #PUNCH video embedded in the press release https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/punch/2025/12/18/nasas-punch-releases-refined-images-of-eruptions-from-the-sun/ - and see also https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Kk05oIEeJ0 for a version with constellation lines.

Shining in the Sky

Shades of blue, green, and purple light the Icelandic sky in this image from December 2023. Incoming solar wind particles hit oxygen and nitrogen atoms high in the atmosphere, exciting their electrons and creating this distinctive glow. We’re currently near the peak of our Sun’s 11-year solar cycle, meaning that high numbers of sunspots and outbursts will continue, likely giving us more stunning auroras like this one. (Image credit: J. Zhang; via APOD)

P.S. – This post–this one right here–is FYFD’s 4000th post! When I started this blog back in 2010 as a graduate student, I never imagined that I would have so much to write about the physics of fluids. But this subject is one that just keeps on giving, so I keep on writing. Thanks for joining the fun! – Nicole

#aurora #fluidDynamics #magnetohydrodynamics #physics #plasma #science #solarWind

#ESA:
"
Smile approved for launch in spring 2026
"
"Smile has passed its qualification and flight acceptance review, meaning that it meets all requirements for launch. The launch window has been set for 8 April to 7 May 2026."

https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Smile/Smile_approved_for_launch_in_spring_2026

20.11.2025

#CAS #China #ESTEC #Ionosphere #Magnetosphere #Raumfahrt #Satelliten #Smile #SolarWind #SpaceFlight #VegaC

#3DPhotos of solar wind will reveal more about what we see as Auroras: https://zorz.it/EFHlK

#JaronSchneider #Corona #PUNCH #research #space #swir #Heliosphere #SolarWind #Auroras

🌞 The solar wind is a stream of charged particles from the Sun’s corona.
🌍 Earth’s magnetic field deflects most, but some are funneled toward the poles. The result is shimmering auroras in green and violet, Earth’s luminous signature of space weather.

✍️ Explore the science & FAQs:
https://TPC8.short.gy/XHvZuUqp

🔆 Where the Sun’s breath meets Earth’s shield, the sky writes its story in light.

#SolarWind #Aurora #SpaceWeather #Magnetosphere #Sun #Earth #Plasma #Space #Astrophysics #Cosmos #TPC8

Cool news - #NASA's new #imap mission is designed to investigate how the sun forms its #solarwind & how that solar wind interacts with interstellar space at the boundary of the #heliosphere

https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/24/science/heliosphere-spacex-nasa-imap-launch

China’s renewable energy expansion can fuel global energy transition: Report

In 2024, investment and production in clean energy contributed $1.9 trillion — which is one-tenth of China’s GDP…
#NewsBeep #News #US #USA #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesOfAmerica #Environment #China #CleanEnergy #climatechange #energygrid #fossilfuels #Science #SolarWind
https://www.newsbeep.com/us/153663/

A Glimpse of the Solar Wind

In December 2024, Parker Solar Probe made its closest pass yet to our Sun. In doing so, it captured the detailed images seen here, where three coronal mass ejections — giant releases of plasma, twisted by magnetic fields — collide in the Sun’s corona. Events like these shape the solar wind and the space weather that reaches us here on Earth. The biggest events can cause beautiful auroras, but they also run the risk of breaking satellites, power grids, and other infrastructure. (Image credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Naval Research Lab; video credit: NASA Goddard; via Gizmodo)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1dTwEyuD44

#flowVisualization #fluidDynamics #magnetohydrodynamics #physics #plasma #science #solarDynamics #solarWind