EGU2020-6043
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-6043
EGU General Assembly 2020
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Multi-spacecraft Observations of interacting CME flux ropes

Emilia Kilpua1, Simon Good1, Erika Palmerio2, Eleanna Asvestari1, Jens Pomoell1, Erkka Lumme1, Matti Ala-Lahti1, Milla Kalliokoski1, Diana Morosan1, Daniel Price1, Jasmina Magdalenic3, Stefaan Poedts4, and Yoshimi Futaana5
Emilia Kilpua et al.
  • 1University of Helsinki, Department of Physics, Helsinki, Finland (emilia.kilpua@helsinki.fi)
  • 2Space Sciences Laboratory, University of Berkeley, CA
  • 3Royal Observatory of Belgium, Brussels, Belgium
  • 4Centre for mathematical Plasma Astrophysics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
  • 5Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Kiruna, Sweden

Interactions between coronal mass ejections (CMEs) in interplanetary space are a highly important aspect for understanding their physical dynamics and evolution as well as their space weather consequences. Here we present an analysis of three CMEs that erupted from the Sun on June 12-14, 2012 using almost radially aligned spacecraft at Venus and Earth, complemented by heliospheric imaging and modelling with EUHFORIA. These multi-spacecraft observations were critical for interpreting the event correctly, in particular regarding the last two CMEs in the series (June 13 and June 14). At the orbit of Venus these CMEs were mostly separate with the June 14 CME just about to reach the previous CME. A significant interaction occurred before the CMEs reached the Earth. The shock of the June 14 CME had propagated through the June 13 CME and the two CMEs had coalesced into a single large flux rope structure before they reached the Earth. This merged flux rope had one of the largest magnetic field magnitudes observed in the near-Earth solar wind during Solar Cycle 24. We discuss also the general importance of multi-spacecraft observations and modelling using them in analyzing solar eruptions.

How to cite: Kilpua, E., Good, S., Palmerio, E., Asvestari, E., Pomoell, J., Lumme, E., Ala-Lahti, M., Kalliokoski, M., Morosan, D., Price, D., Magdalenic, J., Poedts, S., and Futaana, Y.: Multi-spacecraft Observations of interacting CME flux ropes, EGU General Assembly 2020, Online, 4–8 May 2020, EGU2020-6043, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-6043, 2020.

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