Solar Wind

• 

  NASA’s MAVEN Detects Rare Solar Wind Effect in Mars Atmosphere

  NASA’s MAVEN orbiter has detected the Zwan-Wolf effect on Mars for the first time. The discovery suggests solar wind interactions on unmagnetized worlds are more complex than scientists once believed.

• 

  Massive Solar Storm Reveals How Mars Is Losing Its Atmosphere

  Researchers using NASA’s MAVEN observed unusual plasma structures during a major Solar Storm, revealing new details about how solar wind strips away the Martian atmosphere and reshapes the planet over time.

• 

  Spacecraft To Probe How Earth Fends Off Raging Solar Winds

  Particularly fierce solar storms can knock out satellites, threaten astronauts - and create colourful auroras in the skies of northern and southern latitudes.

• 

  NASA’s ESCAPADE Mission to Study Space Weather Between Earth and Mars

  NASA’s ESCAPADE mission will send two identical orbiters to Mars to study how solar wind and space weather strip away the planet’s atmosphere. Launching in 2025 and arriving in 2027, the twin spacecraft will measure solar wind conditions and Mars’s atmospheric response simultaneously, helping scientists understand how the Red Planet lost its ...

• 

  NASA’s PUNCH Mission Provides First Continuous Views of Solar Eruptions Across Space

  NASA’s PUNCH mission released images tracking solar eruptions from the Sun’s corona into interplanetary space. The data reveals CMEs and solar wind dynamics and supports better space weather forecasting for Earth and beyond.

• 

  NASA’s Parker Solar Probe Observes Solar Wind Making ‘U-Turn’, Shedding Light on Space Weather

  NASA’s Parker Solar Probe captured solar wind reversing toward the sun, revealing how magnetic fields recycle coronal material. This process, seen during a close flyby, helps refine models of space weather and may allow scientists to better predict solar storms that can impact satellites, communications, and power systems across the solar system.

• 

  NASA’s ESCAPADE Mission Will Send Twin Probes to Uncover Mars’s Atmospheric Secrets

  NASA’s ESCAPADE mission will launch twin mini-satellites, Blue and Gold, to Mars aboard Blue Origin’s New Glenn. The probes will study how solar wind stripped away Mars’s atmosphere and water, helping scientists understand the Red Planet’s lost climate and its transformation into the dry world we see today.

• 

  Solar Wind Cuts Comet Lemmon’s Tail In Rare Disconnection Event

  Astrophotographer Brennan Gilmore captured a rare “disconnection event” on Oct. 2, showing solar wind cutting Comet Lemmon’s glowing green ion tail. The comet, nearing its October 2025 flyby, displayed a vivid coma and long tail—revealing how solar activity reshapes comets in real time.

• 

  NASA’s PUNCH Mission Completes Final Orbit Manoeuvres, Opens Early Sun Data to the Public

  NASA’s PUNCH mission has reached full operational status, enabling continuous monitoring of the Sun and solar wind from multiple vantage points around Earth. This collaborative effort complements other major solar missions and promises valuable insights into the Sun–Earth connection. Early public release of PUNCH’s science data marks an excit...

• 

  NASA's TRACERS Satellites Begin Solar Wind Study Despite SV1 Glitch

  NASA launched its twin TRACERS satellites on July 23, 2025, to study how solar wind causes magnetic reconnection in Earth's magnetosphere. However, a power issue on one spacecraft, SV1, has caused intermittent communication. Engineers believe the issue relates to sunlight availability on its solar panels and plan recovery efforts in August. Meanwhi...

• 

  Solar Sail Spacecraft Could Boost Space Weather Warnings by Nearly 60 Minutes

  A solar sail spacecraft could extend space weather warnings from 40 to 60 minutes, offering vital lead time before solar storms strike. Part of the SWIFT mission, this satellite will orbit farther than any current monitor, using sunlight for propulsion. The system aims to better protect satellites, astronauts, and power grids from geomagnetic disru...

• 

  NASA’s TRACERS Mission Successfully Launches to Explore Earth’s Magnetic Field and Solar Wind Interactions

  NASA's latest launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base saw the TRACERS mission successfully lift off, one day after a delay due to FAA airspace restrictions. The mission promises valuable insights into solar wind interactions and space weather impacts.

• 

  NASA’s Parker Probe Sends Closest-Ever Images from Inside the Sun’s Corona

  NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has achieved a solar milestone by capturing the closest-ever images of the Sun, taken just 3.8 million miles from its surface in December 2024. These WISPR images reveal unprecedented details of the corona, solar wind, and CME collisions. Scientists say this breakthrough will improve our ability to forecast space weather...

• 

  NASA CODEX Telescope on ISS Reveals Hidden Secrets of the Sun’s Corona

  NASA has introduced CODEX, a cutting-edge mini solar telescope attached to the International Space Station, which is offering groundbreaking observations of the Sun's corona. Unlike past instruments, CODEX can measure both temperature and speed of solar wind particles. This innovation aims to improve our understanding of solar weather, especially a...

• 

  Solar Orbiter Captures First-Ever Close-Up of Sun’s South Pole, Revealing Magnetic Field Chaos

  In a historic first, ESA’s Solar Orbiter has imaged the Sun’s elusive south pole, exposing a tangle of magnetic fields and solar winds. The mission marks a major leap in understanding space weather and the 11-year solar cycle that influences Earth’s environment.