Conveners
CD8 - The Vigil Mission: Advancing Space Weather Operations & Science: Orals - part 1
- Matthew West (European Space Agency)
- Jeffrey Newmark
- Steph Yardley (Northumbria University)
- Hannah Schunker (University of Newcastle)
CD8 - The Vigil Mission: Advancing Space Weather Operations & Science: orals - part 2
- Matthew West (European Space Agency)
- Steph Yardley (Northumbria University)
- Hannah Schunker (University of Newcastle)
- Jeffrey Newmark
Description
The ESA Vigil mission will be the first dedicated space weather mission positioned at the L5 Lagrange point, providing a unique vantage point for continuous monitoring of solar activity and interplanetary space. By complementing observations from Earth’s perspective, Vigil will enable improved early warning capabilities for space weather forecasting and operational decision-making. The mission’s six baseline instruments—four dedicated to remote sensing and two for in-situ measurements—will deliver high-quality, low-latency observations from the solar surface, through the corona and heliosphere, and in situ — to enhance both real-time space weather services and solar physics research.
Although primarily designed as an operational mission, Vigil will provide unprecedented high-cadence science data from a unique perspective that will transform our understanding of space weather, from the Sun’s magnetic field evolution at the surface to solar atmosphere processes that drive space weather events.
A critical aspect of mission readiness is engaging with both operational and scientific communities to refine data products, develop new analytical tools, and enhance Vigil’s impact. This session focuses on strategies for fully exploiting the unique opportunity that Vigil presents. We welcome contributions incorporating L5-oriented research, especially those that combine multiple datasets with other current and upcoming missions, as well as new models, tools, and analysis techniques.
JEDI is a next-generation high cadence, multi-thermal EUV Imager selected by NASA to fly on the European Space Weather Mission Vigil in a halo orbit around the Lagrange Point L5. JEDI will improve our understanding of space weather and enhance space weather operations capability by providing vital observations of earth-directed space weather events from the solar disk out 6 R⊙. JEDI will also...
Combined observations from the Metis coronagraph and EUI/FSI on board Solar Orbiter, together with recent results, will be presented to focus on future scientific objectives of the JEDI (Joint EUV coronal Diagnostic Investigation) instrument on Vigil.
In particular, we discuss the potential of multi-band coronal observations
(Metis in visible light and UV, and FSI at 174 Å and 304 Å, both...
Accurately predicting the evolution and impact of solar disturbances—such as solar energetic particles (SEPs), stream interaction regions, and coronal mass ejections (CMEs)—demands a precise reconstruction of the background solar wind and its intricate small-scale structures. These subtle features play a critical role in determining the timing, shape, and geoeffectiveness of space weather...
Vigil is the first space weather mission in ESA’s Space Safety program to position a spacecraft at the Lagrangian L5 point of the Sun-Earth system. Vigil will peer behind the solar limb (as seen from Earth) and monitor solar activity in quasi real-time, 4-5 days before it becomes visible from ground.
A key instrument onboard Vigil is the Photospheric Magnetic-field Imager (PMI), a...
We will present our modeling effort to characterize and understand the solar corona and wind with the Wind-Predict-AW data driven 3D MHD model. In particular we focus on how multi-vantage points EUV emissions along with while light images can be used to constrain such coronal model with advanced heating mechanisms (waves, turbulence, radiation or conduction). We extend our analysis to include...
Coronal holes (CHs) are known to be sources of high-speed solar wind streams (HSSs), yet the physical mechanisms linking CH position and characteristics to solar wind (SW) behaviour remain unclear. Our results reveal that the latitude of CHs, especially smaller ones, combined with the heliographic latitude of the solar disk’s central point (B0 angle), plays a critical role in driving...
The ESA Vigil mission, to be launched in 2031, will enable unique observations of solar activity and space weather monitoring from the Sun-Earth Lagrange point L5, a gravitationally stable position 60° behind Earth in its orbit. It will capture Earth-bound coronal mass ejections, which will also be observed from the L1 and Earth vantage points. NASA’s twin-spacecraft STEREO mission (launched...
The ambient solar wind plays an important role as one of the driver of geoeffective space weather activity. The solar magnetic field is 'frozen-in' and carried outward by the solar wind plasma. As it frozen-in, it follows the parker spiral. Usually 4-5 sectors of opposite polarity are present in the Interplanetary medium. Sector boundaries are the regions where the magnetic field direction...
This study deals with prominence eruptions captured by the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager/Full Sun Imager (EUI/FSI) on board the Solar Orbiter. We analyse a selection of 230 eruptions from the detailed catalogue available at https://www.sidc.be/EUI/solar-eruptions, focusing on events where prominences reach projected heights beyond 2 solar radii. The large field of view (up to fourteen solar...
Accurate real-time prediction of coronal mass ejection (CME) arrivals is essential for mitigating the effects of space weather events on Earth. With the increasing volume of heliospheric imager (HI) data, manual detection and tracking of CMEs is becoming increasingly time-consuming. To address this challenge, we developed the Solar Transient Recognition Using Deep Learning (STRUDL) model, a...
Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) are among the most significant events impacting space weather. Their role in triggering severe geomagnetic disturbances has prompted ongoing research to predict their velocities and arrival times on Earth. During their eruption, CMEs undergo rapid acceleration at lower altitudes in the solar atmosphere, reaching speeds ranging from 100 km/s to over 3000 km/s....
In the evolving landscape of 21st-century space science, forecasting space weather events such as solar flares and Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) is crucial yet challenging. Solar flares are intense bursts of radiation caused by the release of magnetic energy in active regions and are often accompanied by CMEs. These events can significantly impact Earth's space environment, causing disruptions...
Solar Orbiter executed its first dedicated fast wind Solar Orbiter Observing Plan (SOOP) in October 2023 to investigate the origins and release mechanisms of the fast solar wind. A high-speed stream reached Solar Orbiter (0.45 AU, –32°) on 24 October, lasting several days, and was observed slightly earlier at Parker Solar Probe (0.65 AU, –71°) on 22 October. Ballistic backmapping confirms that...
Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are large-scale eruptions of magnetized plasma that transport momentum and energy from the solar corona into the heliosphere and represent a major driver of space weather. Accurate forecasting of CME time of arrival (ToA) at Earth remains a key challenge for operational prediction centers. The WSA-ENLIL-Cone model, available at the NASA/Community Coordinated...
The L5 Project within the Space Weather Observations Program Division (SWOPD) between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) Office of Space Weather Observations (SWO) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will contribute the Compact Coronagraph 3 (CCOR-3), built by the U.S....
The ESA Vigil mission will monitor the Sun and ejected solar plasma in real time from Lagrange point L5. From this unique vantage point, Vigil will provide early detection of Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) and Co-rotating Interaction Regions (CIRs), enhancing our ability to anticipate space weather threats. In this contribution, we will present two machine learning models that employ...
The timely and accurate prediction of Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) parameters and arrival times is a cornerstone of operational space weather forecasting. Current limitations in stereoscopic coverage hinder our ability to determine CME kinematics and geometry with confidence. To address this, our research has developed a machine learning framework trained entirely on synthetic coronagraph image...
Solar Orbiter is an ESA-led science mission that since its launch in 2020 explores the Sun and the heliosphere from an unique, elliptical orbit around our home star.
While the mission goals are science driven, it has been providing very valuable data for space weather purposes, due to its interesting configurations with Earth and Sun, and its data are currently used actively in Space Weather...
The Metis coronagraph aboard Solar Orbiter has been providing since its launch in 2020 unique data consisting of simultaneous observations of the solar corona in the visible-light band and in a UV narrow band centered on the H I Ly-alpha line.
We describe the various approaches employed to maximize the science return of Metis data. We discuss in particular the baseline science operations and...
JEDI (Joint EUV Coronal Diagnostic Investigation) is an instrument selected by NASA under the Heliophysics Living With a Star program to fly on the European Space Agency’s Vigil Mission. From Vigil’s orbit around L5 JEDI will take high cadence, multi-thermal, Extreme ultraviolet images of the solar disk through the middle corona, providing crucial coverage and insight into Earth-directed space...
The Vigil space weather mission is currently being developed for launch to the Sun-Earth L5 Lagrange point. From this location it will provide low-latency remote and in situ measurements of the Sun and solar wind for operational space weather services. As part of its payload, Vigil will carry a magnetometer to measure the interplanetary magnetic field in situ. A key goal of the Vigil project...
The ESA Vigil mission will be the first operational space weather monitoring mission deployed at the Sun–Earth Lagrange Point L5, offering a unique vantage point approximately 60 degrees behind Earth’s orbit. This position enables early detection and continuous tracking of solar activity that may impact Earth, providing critical lead time for forecasting and mitigation of space weather...
Accurate and timely estimates of CME direction, speed and size are essential for space weather forecasting; however, current methods based on coronagraph observations remain time-consuming and show significant variability between forecasters. To address this challenge, we propose an automated system capable of continuously producing a 3D reconstruction of CMEs and inferring their kinematics...
