Evolution of a Streamer-Blowout CME as Observed by Imagers on Parker Solar Probe and the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory

Abstract

Context: On 26-27 January 2020, the wide-field imager WISPR on Parker Solar Probe (PSP) observed a coronal mass ejection (CME) from a distance of approximately 30 solar radii as it passed through the instrument's 95 degree field-of-view, providing an unprecedented view of the flux rope morphology of the CME's internal structure. The same CME was seen by STEREO, beginning on 25 January. Aims: Our goal was to understand the origin and determine the trajectory of this CME. Methods: We analyzed data from three well-placed spacecraft: Parker Solar Probe (PSP), Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory-Ahead (STEREO-A), and Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). The CME trajectory was determined using the method described in Liewer et al. (2020) and verified using simultaneous images of the CME propagation from STEREO-A. The fortuitous alignment with STEREO-A also provided views of coronal activity leading up to the eruption. Observations from SDO, in conjunction with potential magnetic field models of the corona, were used to analyze the coronal magnetic evolution for the three days leading up to the flux rope ejection from the corona on 25 January. Results: We found that the 25 January CME is likely the end result of a slow magnetic flux rope eruption that began on 23 January and was observed by STEREO-A/Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUVI). Analysis of these observations suggest that the flux rope was apparently constrained in the corona for more than a day before its final ejection on 25 January. STEREO-A/COR2 observations of swelling and brightening of the overlying streamer for several hours prior to eruption on January 25 led us to classify this as a streamer-blowout CME. The analysis of the SDO data suggests that restructuring of the coronal magnetic fields caused by an emerging active region led to the final ejection of the flux rope.

arXiv comment12 pages, 12 figures. Accepted in A&A

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Cited by in corpus (11)

• Parker Solar Probe: Four Years of Discoveries at Solar Cycle Minimum
• Overview of the remote sensing observations from PSP solar encounter 10 with perihelion at 13.3 Rsun
• Coronal mass ejection deformation at 0.1 au observed by WISPR
• Investigating Remote-sensing Techniques to Reveal Stealth Coronal Mass Ejections
• On the utility of flux rope models for CME magnetic structure below 30$R_{\odot }$
• Internal magnetic field structures observed by PSP/WISPR in a filament related coronal mass ejection
• Synthetic Remote-sensing and In-situ Observations of Fine-scale Structure in a Pseudostreamer Coronal Mass Ejection through the Solar Corona
• Sequential Small Coronal Mass Ejections Observed In~situ and in White-Light Images by Parker Solar Probe
• PSP/IS$\odot$IS Observation of a Solar Energetic Particle Event Associated With a Streamer Blowout Coronal Mass Ejection During Encounter 6
• Tracking solar wind flows from rapidly varying viewpoints by the Wide-field Imager for Parker Solar Probe
• Predicting the Magnetic Fields of a Stealth CME Detected by Parker Solar Probe at 0.5 AU