We need a solar sail probe to detect space tornadoes earlier, researchers say

We need a solar sail probe to detect space tornadoes earlier, researchers say

Spirals of solar wind can spin off larger solar eruptions and disrupt Earth's magnetic field, yet they are too difficult to detect with our current single-location warning system, according to a new study from the University of Michigan.

A New Probe Could Spot Space Tornadoes 40% Sooner

A new study published in The Astrophysical Journal is sounding the alarm about swirling solar wind structures that may pose an underestimated threat to Earth’s technological systems. Researchers have found that tornado, like spirals of plasma, invisible to our current monitoring systems, could spark damaging geomagnetic storms. The answer, they say, may lie in a solar sail-powered spacecraft that could offer a faster, broader view of dangerous s…

Environmental News Network - We Need a Solar Sail Probe to Detect Space Tornadoes Earlier, More Accurately, U-M Researchers Say

A spacecraft that sails on light could provide new vantage point on solar eruptions that can disrupt modern electrical and navigation systems.