STEREO observed stealth CME

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Introduction

Figure 1: Schematic view of the CME that erupted on June 1st 2008, projected on the ecliptic plane (top view). The separation angle between the A and B spacecraft was 53^{\circ}. The CME traveled towards STEREO B and was clearly visible in coronagraph images from STEREO A.

The twin STEREO probes are two identical spacecraft, one flying ahead (A) of the Earth and one flying behind it (B). They were launched on Wednesday, October 25th, 2006 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The separation angle between the two spacecraft increases as time progresses. This double observation allows us to view solar activity from two different vantage points. On June 1st 2008, the angle between STEREO A and STEREO B reached 53^{\circ} (Fig 1). On this day, a coronal mass ejection (CME) was observed by the STEREO A coronagraphs (Fig 2), while no trace of it was seen in the STEREO B images! This was very surprising, since STEREO B had full view on the eruption. This observation confirms earlier suspicions that CMEs exist that have no clear surface signatures.


"Stealth" CMEs

In comparison to stealth technology,

Problem storm

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