Speaker
Description
On 24th December 2024, the Parker Solar Probe (PSP) achieved its closest approach to the Sun, reaching a radial distance of only 9.86 solar radii, where no spacecraft has ever been before. In this study we investigate both the global and local structure and the dynamical evolution of the coronal magnetic field during PSP’s passage to closest at distances below 20 solar radii, i.e. basically when diving into the sub-Alfvénic regime into the birthplaces of space weather. We present first results from a comparative analysis between remote-sensing observations of the solar corona acquired by WISPR/PSP and global magnetic field extrapolations up to 14 Rs based on the Potential Field Source Surface (PFSS) method. In addition, we analyze the energetics and properties of the coronal magnetic field in the pre-eruptive phase of a coronal mass ejection (CME) observed by PSP, SOHO, and STEREO. Using three-dimensional reconstructions of the CME derived from the Graduated Cylindrical Shell (GCS) and Polarization Ratio (PR) methods, we estimate its kinetic energy and determine its propagation direction.
