Solar plasma flying through the Solar System

This simulation shows how charged particles (plasma) from the Sun, blasted out on 20 May 2024, spread through the Solar System. The Sun lies at the centre of the circle, and the positions of several planets and spacecraft are shown. The colour scale indicates the density of plasma, with black indicating the highest particle density. Further from the Sun, the particle density is scaled so that it is easier to follow the movement of the plasma.
The solar outburst was directed away from Earth, out of view from most Sun observatories. As can be seen in this video, the ESA-led Solar Orbiter mission was positioned perfectly to witness the entire event; planetary missions BepiColombo and Mars Express also witnessed solar energetic particles hitting their spacecraft.
EUHFORIA (Pomoell & Poedts, J. Space Weather Space Clim. 2018, 8, A35) was created as a joint effort between KU Leuven and the University of Helsinki.
Credit: EUHFORIA/J. Pomoell
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