NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has made a breakthrough observation of a solar process that fuels powerful eruptions capable of disrupting power grids, satellites, and communications systems on Earth.

The study, published in Nature Astronomy and highlighted by ScienceDaily, strengthens forecasting methods for space weather.

Magnetic reconnection happens when magnetic field lines break apart and reconnect, releasing massive amounts of energy that can disrupt technology on Earth.

In September 2022, the spacecraft passed

through a major solar eruption, gathering plasma and magnetic field readings, confirming that reconnection was the trigger for the event. The European Space Agency’s Solar Orbiter provided complementary observations.

“We’ve been d

eveloping the theory of magnetic reconnection for almost 70 years, so we had a basic idea of how different parameters would behave,” Dr. Ritesh Patel, lead author of the study and a research scientist at the Southwest Research Institute, said.

“The measurements and observations received from the encounter have validated numerical simulation models that have existed for decades within some degree of uncertainty. The data will serve as strong constraints for future models and provide a path to understand PSP’s solar measurements from other timeframes and events,” Patel added.

How should Philippine grid operators and policymakers integrate space-weather forecasting into energy resilience planning? Join the discussion in the comments.

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