ALBERT

Description: Over 400 CMEs have been observed by STEREO SECCHI COR1 during the mission's three year duration (2006-2009). Many of the solar activity indicators have been at minimal values over this period, and the Carrington rotation-averaged CME rate has been comparable to that measured during the minima between Cycle 21-22 (SMM C/P) and Cycle 22-23 (SOHO LASCO). That rate is about 0.5 CMEs/day. During the current solar minimum (leading to Cycle 24), there have been entire Carrington rotations where no sunspots were detected and the daily values of the 2800 MHz solar flux remained below 70 sfu. CMEs continued to be detected during these exceptionally quiet periods, indicating that active regions are not necessary to the generation of at least a portion of the CME population. In the past, researchers were limited to a single view of the Sun and could conclude that activity on the unseen portion of the disk might be associated with CMEs. But as the STEREO mission has progressed we have been able to observe an increasing fraction of the Sun's corona with STEREO SECCHI EUVI and were able to eliminate this possibility. Here we report on the nature of CMEs detected during these exceptionally quiet periods, and we speculate on how the corona remains dynamic during such conditions.

Description: The scientific payload of SOHO, launched in December 1995, enables comprehensive studies of the sun from its interior, to the outer corona and solar wind. In its halo orbit around the Lagrangian point of the sun-earth system, the comprehensive suprathermal and energetic particle analyzer (COSTEP) measures in situ energetic partiles in the energy range 44 keV/particle to greater than 53 MeV/n. Although solar activity was at minimum, COSTEP detected from mid December 1995 until the end of July 1997, 30 solar energetic particle (SEP) events, including both gradual and implusive type SEPs. These minimum phase SEP events are unique in the sense that their associated solar source phenomena can be investigated in detail without interference by other simultaneous solar events as is usually the case at times around solar activity maximum. Simultaneous observations of the solar corona are provided by the large angle spectroscopic coronagraph (LASCO) and the extreme ultraviolet imaging telescope (EIT). From the correlated SOHO observations, a one to one correspondence of SEP events with coronal mass ejections (CMEs) was found. Most of the SEP events were associated with west-limb CMEs, some with halo CMEs that later passed the SOHO spacecraft and with Moreton-like disturbances in the lower solar atmosphere as observed by the EIT. Many SEP events were detected at sector boundaries of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) suggesting a magnetic connection to coronal streamers at the sun as supported by LASCO observations of mass ejections at the base of helmet streamers. Energetic particle and LASCO white-light observations yield evidence that CMEs often lead to large-scale disturbances of the sun's corona, probably affecting at times areas all around the sun.

Description: The application of an analytic magnetohydrodynamic model is presented to observations of the time-dependent explusion of 3D coronal mass ejections (CMEs) out of the solar corona. This model relates the white-light appearance of the CME to its internal magnetic field, which takes the form of a closed bubble, filled with a partly anchored, twisted magnetic flux rope and embedded in an otherwise open background field. The density distribution frozen into the expanding CME expanding field is fully 3D, and can be integrated along the line of sight to reproduce observations of scattered white light. The model is able to reproduce the three conspicuous features often associated with CMEs as observed with white-light coronagraphs: a surrounding high-density region, an internal low-density cavity, and a high-density core. The model also describes the self-similar radial expansion of these structures. By varying the model parameters, the model can be fitted directly to observations of CMEs. It is shown how the model can quantitatively match the polarized brightness contrast of a dark cavity emerging through the lower corona as observed by the HAO Mauna Loa K-coronameter to within the noise level of the data.

Description: The solar synoptic maps, obtained from observations carried out since May 1996 by the extreme-ultraviolet imaging telescope (EIT) onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), are presented. The maps were constructed for each Carrington rotation with the calibrated data. The off-limb maps at 1.05 and 1.10 solar radii were generated for three coronal lines using the standard applied to coronagraph synoptic maps. The maps reveal several aspects of the solar structure over the entire rotation and are used in the whole sun month modeling campaign. @txt extreme-ultraviolet imaging telescope

Description: The coronal mass ejection (CME) event on 6 to 7 February 1997 that originate from the southwest quadrant of the sun are analyzed. The CME is accelerated from a projected speed of 170 km/s to about 650 km/s at 25 solar radii. The CME is an arcade eruption followed by bright prominence core structures. The CME was accompanied by an arcade formation. The X-ray and extreme ultraviolet observations suggest that the reconnection proceeded from the northwest and the southeast end of a filament channel. The CME event caused interplanetary effects that produced a medium size geomagnetic storm on earth. Issues relating to the origin and propagation of geo-effective solar disturbances are addressed.

Description: The solar minimum streamer structure observed during the whole sun month was modeled. The Van de Hulst inversion was used in order to determine the coronal electron density profiles and scale-height temperature profiles. The axisymmetric magnetostatic model of Gibson, Bagenal and Low was also used. The density, temperature, and magnetic field distribution were quantified using both coronal white light data and photospheric magnetic field data from the Wilcox Solar Observatory. The densities and temperatures obtained by the Van de Hulst and magnetostatic models are compared to the magnetic field predicted by the magnetostatic model to a potential field extrapolated from the photosphere.

Description: The large transequatorial coronal hole that was observed in the solar corona at the end of August 1996 is presented. It consists of a north polar coronal hole called the 'elephant's trunk or tusk'. The observations of this coronal hole were carried out with the coronal diagnostic spectrometer onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). The magnetic field associated with the equatorial coronal hole is strongly connected to that of the active region at its base, resulting in the two features rotating at almost the same rate.

Description: The solar observations from GOES-8, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), and the Yohkoh satellite concerning the events of the X-class flare are discussed. The Michelson Doppler imager (MDI) magnetometer shows a new region of magnetic activity in AR 7978. The rapid development and evolution of this region is shown by the MDI and the extreme-ultraviolet Doppler telescope (EDT) data. The coronal mass ejections (CMEs) observed using coronagraphs are presented. The possible association between the CME and the X-flare is considered.

Description: The SOHO satellite, launched on 2 December 1995, combines a unique set of instruments which allow comparative studies of the interior of the sun, the outer corona and solar to be carried out. In its halo orbit around the L1 Lagrangian point of the sun-earth system, SOHO's comprehensive suprathermal and energetic particle analyzer (COSTEP) measures in situ energetic particles in the energy range of 44 keV/particle to greater than 53 MeV/n. The MeV proton, electron and helium nuclei measurements from the COSTEP electron proton helium instrument (EPHIN) were used to investigate the relationships of intensity increases of these particle species with the large-scale structures of the solar corona and heliosphere, including temporal variations. Coronal observatons are provided by the large angle spectroscopic coronagraph (LASCO) and the extreme ultraviolet imaging telescope (EIT). It was found that during times of minimum solar activity, intensity increases of the particles have two well defined sources: corotating interaction regions (CIRs) in the heliosphere related to coronal holes at the sun and coronal mass ejections.

Description: "Moreton waves," named for the observer who popularized them, are a solar phenomenon also known in scientific literature as "Moreton-Ramsey wave," "flare waves," "flare-associated waves," "MHD blast waves," "chromospheric shock fronts" and various other combinations of terms which connote violently propagating impulsive disturbances. It is unclear whether all of the observations to which these terms have been applied pertain to a single physical phenomenon: there has perhaps been some overlap between the observations and the assumed physical properties of the observed occurrence. Moreton waves are ideally observed in the wings of H alpha, and appear as semi-circular fronts propagating at speeds ranging from several hundred to over a thousand km/sec. They form an arc, or "brow shape" which can span up to 180 degrees. Extrapolating the speed and locations of the arc indicates that the phenomenon's origin intersects well with the impulsive phase of the associated H alpha flare (if the flare exhibits an impulsive phase). However, the arc may not form or may not be observable until it is tens of megameters from the flaring region, and subsequently can propagate to distances exceeding 100 megameters. The high speeds and distances of propagation, plus the associated radio and energetic particle observations, provided strong evidence of a coronal, rather than a chromospheric origin. The H alpha manifestation of the wave is assumed to be the "ground track" or "skirt" of a three-dimensional disturbance.