Aditya-L1 Data Pinpoints Cause of May 2024 Solar Storm’s Unusual Power

Overview

• An Indian-led study published in Astrophysical Journal Letters details how the May 2024 event, known as Gannon’s storm, exceeded expectations.
• Coordinated observations from Aditya-L1 and six US satellites—Wind, ACE, THEMIS-C, STEREO-A, MMS, and DSCOVR—provided multi-point measurements of the event.
• Researchers conclude that two CMEs collided en route to Earth, triggering large-scale magnetic reconnection inside a CME and reversing its magnetic field.
• The team mapped a reconnection region roughly 1.3 million kilometres across, the first observation of such a vast magnetic breakup and rejoining inside a CME.
• Satellites detected sudden particle acceleration consistent with reconnection, a result that strengthens models for forecasting threats to satellites, communications, GPS, and power grids.