NASA scientists have discovered a new technique that could improve weather forecast and help to protect astronauts from the dangerous solar storm. The Sun is an active star that repeatedly releases powerful flames and huge eruption known as Coronel Mass Ejection.
Now NASA experts have developed a new instrument called Coronagraph, Which blocks the Sun's bright light and allow astronomer to see what is going in the Sun's Corona. The Sun is still streaming powerful solar energetic particles (SEP) towards Earth. With help of this tool, scientists found a way to detect SEP activity tens of minutes earlier than current forecasting techniques allow, stated on Space.com.
The current space weather research uses the method of space band Coronagraphs but the process is too much time-consuming. Now NASA Astronauts said that the new technique can deliver a better observation, which is almost instant and at a much higher time resolution than satellite instruments.
In a recent study, the scientist used observation from the ground-based coronagraph called K-Cor. They found the Coronal Mass Ejections are extremely energetic and it can move at nearly the speed of light.
NASA is currently implementing Project Solar Shield to provide warnings to vital systems after an Earth-affecting CME occurs. This allows satellites and power transformers to be shut down if necessary for a short period of time.
The researcher confirmed on Journal Space weather, that SEPs could be detected as early as 45 minutes before the particles arrive at Earth. And the scientists said they hope to improve this early warning system even further.
Joan Burkepile, the principle investigator for the K-Core said currently processed images from K-Cor are available on the internet in less than 15 minutes after they're taken. Scientists are installing a more powerful computer at the observatory in Hawaii to process the images seconds after they are acquired and provide the data on the internet within a minute or two of acquisition.
