Impressions from the @esa.int heliophysics modeling workshop this week at ESOC in Darmstadt - amazing to see a roundup of the #spaceweather modeling landscape, as well as the ESOC control rooms, and even a Rosetta/Philae spacecraft model in real size!
This is a great website to see where #ARTEMIS2 currently is!
artemistracker.com
With the awesome NASA Eyes on the Solar System visualization eyes.nasa.gov one can see that during the #ARTEMIS2 launch the Moon should be inside the magnetosphere, but then moves to the west of the Sun-Earth line as the mission progresses.
The #solarstorm from March 30 has gone way off to the east of Earth (solar wind, left), so no problem for #ARTEMIS2.
Fingers crossed🤞that during the 10 day journey to the moon a solar energetic particle (SEP) hazard does not occur - see data on the Jan 19 2026 event by the LRO spacecraft👇(right).
We've been featured on Austrian national TV ORF2 in "Mayrs Magazin" roaming around Austria's magnetic Conrad observatory and talking about solar storms, with @chrisoutofspace.bsky.social and Veronika Haberle. The @esa.int HENON and Vigil missions were mentioned too!
on.orf.at/video/143147...
spaceweather.com sometimes posts solar images from the #Mars Perseverance Rover camera MASTCAM-Z, in low but good enough resolution to see big sunspots (e.g. Feb 19 2026 below). Mars is currently on the opposite side of the Sun as seen from Earth. The images are here:
mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/mul...
BREAKING: This is Richard Carrington, the first person to document solar flares on the Sun & suggest their influence on aurora at Earth. The largest solar storm on record, the Carrington Event, bares his name. But, there has been no photograph available of Carrington – until now!
Crazy
21:36 UTC
Jan 19, 2026
Location Koralpe Austria 46N
#Aurora #spaceweather
@vincentledvina.bsky.social
Es könnte sein dass es in der früh nochmal stärker wird - aber irgendwie muss man nunmal von den Wolken weg ...
This solar cycle is so funny because whenever you think you don't know exactly what to do for the next paper or project these things happen.
Wow! Here is the current view over Falkenberg, Germany! Quite amazing red aurora from this mid-latitude location. Europe get outside!
go.theauroraguy.com/webcams
At this point we can call ourselves lucky because if this field would point southward we would be in a 1989 Quebec storm category (Dst almost -600 nT)!
If the Bz stays > 0, high and mid-latitude aurora is still likely, but damaging effects on technical infrastructure are probably not significant.
This is likely the strongest near-Earth #solarwind magnetic field I have ever seen in my career - 90.6 nT total field, and perfectly northward 61.7 nT Bz component. If this is the main flux rope, the north and west pointing field is consistent with the right handed source region - Bz would stay > 0!
Ohh nice! Congratulations! 🏅
A press story is out today (german) on our forecast for the chances for #aurora nights at mid-latitudes in 2026.
We predict another 1-2 possible nights in 2026, as we expect 20-30 #solarstorm impacts at Earth 🌍 in 2026.
☀️ Solar cycle 25 is not done yet! ☀️
science.apa.at/power-search...
🤯 Very interesting study featured on spaceweather.com today about #solarstorms lowering satellite orbits and thus collision avoidance maneuvers are needed, in particular for satellite megaconstellations ➡️ #spaceweather may form a tipping point towards Kessler Syndrome.
arxiv.org/abs/2512.09643
Stylised poster depicting spacecraft watching the Sun with Earth depicted below
Check out the first poster in our new series: "Space Safety - in action!"
Mission: Vigil
Objective: Advanced warning of solar storms
Unique feature: Location in deep space offers 'side-on' view of solar material heading towards Earth
Launch: 2031
Download the poster at:
www.esa.int/Space_Safety...
(In German): A really nice story in Austrian newspaper @derstandard.at today on our duties as #spaceweather forecasters and researchers and myths surrounding our work. www.derstandard.at/story/300000...
My take away so far from discussions on the #Airbus software updates due to potential #spaceweather induced electronics upsets: the Sun ☀️ seems not responsible for the incident on October 30 (no significant eruptions on that day), but solar energetic particles could lead to similar failures.
An interesting #spaceweather story developing. Airbus has made a statement saying that “Analysis of a recent event involving an A320 Family aircraft has revealed that intense solar radiation may corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls”
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Amazing outcome of the ESA ministerial for space safety: especially ESA Vigil and the the mission concepts for distributed #spaceweather sensors like SHIELD and Aurora missions are all on track!
www.esa.int/Space_Safety...
We will hear more details in the coming days but it also looks like ESA Space Safety - with a highly ambitious program - was very well funded, and besides the Asteroid mission to Apophis in 2029 (once in a lifetime chance), eager to hear more about the #spacewather missions to be designed and built!
📺 Our Ministerial Council takes place this week, 26-27 November, in Bremen, Germany. Vital decisions will be made on Europe's future in space. You can follow events live on the days here! 👇
www.esa.int/About_Us/Min...
Also check out our dedicated #CM25 website 👇 🔗 esa.int/CM25
I am part of a new paper has been published today in @frontiersmedia.bsky.social (Zhao et al. 2025) that gives an overview on the drag-based-models that have been developed to describe the #solarstorm evolution in the heliosphere
www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.... #openaccess
A new podcast (in german) is available on all platforms with Hannah Rüdisser @hannahruedisser.bsky.social and me talking about many aspects of space weather, like future @esaspaceweather.esa.int missions, Miyake Events and solar storm impacts on technology.
👇
geosphere.at/de/aktuelles...
Finally, Petra van Lommel taught us how to do space weather communication to the public without scientific terms - use the terms light / rain / wind!
Aurora chaser MaryBeth Kiczenski (photos) provided perspectives for us researchers and forecasters to improve tools to make chases more fun!
(3/3)
Then a discussion with @esa.int and NOAA on future data streams for #spaceweather, with sub-L1 measurements on distant retrograde orbits (ESA HENON and ESA SHIELD) attracting lots of attention. An ESA L3 mission concept may use Faraday rotation to remotely detect #solarstorm magnetic fields. (2/3)
Day 4 of #ESWW2025! @maikebauer.bsky.social + @lelouedecj.bsky.social presented posters on #solarstorm automatic detection and modeling to make life easier for forecasters. @hannahruedisser.bsky.social took part in a panel on the best practices and future use of AI in #spaceweather! 1/3
ARCANE with its ability to also detect high speed solar wind streams was also shown during the live #spaceweather forecast!
Further, fascinating talks on geomagnetically induced currents in Sweden, Germany and New Zealand, and discussions on ESA space weather plans for the next few years. (2/2)
