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Austrian Space Weather Office

@aswogeosphere.bsky.social

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Inventing the next generation of space weather prediction at the GeoSphere Austria. | ☀️ @erc.europa.eu HELIO4CAST | funded by @fwf-at.bsky.social | https://helioforecast.space | https://geosphere.at/en/topics/disaster-protection/space-weather

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Austrian Space Weather Office @aswogeosphere.bsky.social · Jan 1

More mid-latitude #aurora in Austria on 2025 Jan 1 18:20 CET from the webcam near the GeoSphere Austria Sonnblick Observatory.
credit: foto-webcam.eu
www.foto-webcam.eu/webcam/klein...

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Austrian Space Weather Office @aswogeosphere.bsky.social · 8d

A #solarstorm, likely a CME flank hit, is causing geomagnetic disturbances (current Dst = -118 nT).
Bz dropped to -17 nT but has since turned northward ➡️ probably no aurora in Europe tonight.
Hoping high-latitude regions still in darkness get a good show! 💫🌌

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Austrian Space Weather Office @aswogeosphere.bsky.social · 14d

1h30 min later, SWFO-L1 is deployed!

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Austrian Space Weather Office @aswogeosphere.bsky.social · 14d

... and there it goes!!

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Austrian Space Weather Office @aswogeosphere.bsky.social · 14d

2 minutes to go!

Austrian Space Weather Office @aswogeosphere.bsky.social · 14d

Live stream coverage for the launch for SWFO-L1 and IMAP in 45 minutes (13:30 CEST) has started! ☀️🛰️🚀

Three New Missions Launch to Track Space Weather

YouTube video by NASA

www.youtube.com

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Austrian Space Weather Office @aswogeosphere.bsky.social · 14d

Hannah Rüdisser @hannahruedisser.bsky.social representing @aswogeosphere.bsky.social at ml-helio.github.io

Austrian Space Weather Office @aswogeosphere.bsky.social · 15d

Part of the electronics of SWFO-L1 have been delivered by the Austrian Academy of Science @oeaw.bsky.social Space Research Institute in Graz!

IWF Graz - Institut für Weltraumforschung der ÖAW @iwf-oeaw.bsky.social · 16d

10, 9, 8, ... Liftoff! 🚀

Der Countdown für den Start von SWFO-L1 am 23.9., 13:32 MESZ, läuft. Die USA setzen bei der Frühwarnung vor Sonnenstürmen auf steirische Technologie: Mit an Bord ist Elektronik zur Messung des Sonnenmagnetfeldes, die vom #IWFGraz @oeaw.bsky.social geliefert wurde. 👇

Countdown für den Start der Weltraummission SWFO-L1

USA setzen bei Frühwarnung vor Sonnenstürmen auf steirische Technologie

www.oeaw.ac.at

Austrian Space Weather Office @aswogeosphere.bsky.social · 15d

SWFO-L1 / IMAP launch moved to Wednesday September 24 13:32 CEST
www.youtube.com/live/vNRrfam...

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Austrian Space Weather Office @aswogeosphere.bsky.social · 16d

The launch window for the Space Weather Follow On L1 mission, a solar wind monitor and coronagraph to L1, opens tomorrow Tuesday 23 September 13:32 CEST (7:32 am EDT) ☀️

The ride into space is shared with the IMAP mission and the Carruthers Geocorona Observatory.

www.nesdis.noaa.gov/news-events/...

SWFO-L1 Launch

SWFO-L1 will keep a watchful eye on the sun and near-Earth environment for space weather activity, using a solar telescope to monitor the Sun's activity and a suite of instruments to make real-time me...

www.nesdis.noaa.gov

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Austrian Space Weather Office @aswogeosphere.bsky.social · 19d

At the XVIIIth Hvar Astrophysical Colloquium this week, our PhD student Hannah Rüdisser @hannahruedisser.bsky.social talks about automatic detection of solar storms measured in situ by spacecraft 🛰️ in the solar wind and using a magnetic 🧲 flux rope model for better forecasts! ☀️

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Austrian Space Weather Office @aswogeosphere.bsky.social · 20d

Our PostDoc Emma Davies @spacedavies.bsky.social has presented this week an invited talk on "Investigating the coherency and expansion of ICMEs using multi-spacecraft observations" at the XVIIIth Hvar Astrophysical Colloquium on the island of Hvar, Croatia☀️!

Austrian Space Weather Office @aswogeosphere.bsky.social · 20d

In March 2026 the Max Planck Institute
@mpsgoettingen.bsky.social will organize the

10th Solar Orbiter| 18th IRIS | 1st ADITYA joint workshop
16 to 19 March 2026, in Berlin, Germany

Abstract deadline is November 15 2025.

www.mps.mpg.de/sow2026

Austrian Space Weather Office @aswogeosphere.bsky.social · 22d

We have published a summary article on progress within our @erc.europa.eu project HELIO4CAST on predicting the magnetic fields of #solarstorms. ☀️💥🧲

edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/html5/reader...

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Reposted by Austrian Space Weather Office

Christian Möstl @chrisoutofspace.bsky.social · 28d

🇬🇧UK Space Weather meeting in Sheffield, day 3 starts with a session on new 🛰️ missions, including @craig.deforest.org on @punch-mission.bsky.social, Jorge Amaya on a new fleet of @esa.int spacecraft and a possible later far-side ☀️ mission (near L3), and Jonathan Eastwood on ESA HENON for sub-L1 data.

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Austrian Space Weather Office @aswogeosphere.bsky.social · Sep 6

The #solarwind at L1 made some jumps at 2025 Sep 6 around 14 UT presumably connected to a #solarstorm eruption from late 2025 Sep 4. Magnetic field magnitude is around 20 nT, speed is 630 km/s, but Bz is ~0 so far - we are monitoring the event to see whether it develops into a geomagnetic storm.

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Austrian Space Weather Office @aswogeosphere.bsky.social · Sep 3

☀️ Final storm update: Last night’s storm intensified during the night and peaked at Dst -81 nT, considered a moderate event.
No ⁠aurora sightings have been reported in Austria.
🕐 The storm’s late arrival was likely due to interaction with an earlier CME, causing the #solarstorm to slow down.

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Austrian Space Weather Office @aswogeosphere.bsky.social · Sep 2

Storm update: As of now, the Dst response remains modest, with a minimum of -24 nT at 18:00 UTC.
The Newell coupling is still intensifying, but the storm appears to be weakening, Btot currently ~14 nT.
🌌 Unfortunately, chances for #auroras are slim for Austria, but improve toward higher latitudes.

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Austrian Space Weather Office @aswogeosphere.bsky.social · Sep 2

Storm update: Bz is dropping southward as hoped! 🙌
🌍 We’ll have to see how the Dst index responds — still at 13 nT for now — but the Newell coupling is strengthening, currently 3 (4h weighted average).
☁️ Unfortunately, skies over Central Europe look pretty cloudy tonight.

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Austrian Space Weather Office @aswogeosphere.bsky.social · Sep 2

Storm update: A flux rope arrived at 10:20 UTC, raising the magnetic field strength to currently 23 nT. For now, Bz remains positive.
Rooting for a low-inclination, left-handed flux rope — that could flip Bz southward and boost #aurora chances again! ✨🤞 Stay tuned!

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Austrian Space Weather Office @aswogeosphere.bsky.social · Sep 2

Storm update: A prolonged positive Bz has kept the geomagnetic response weaker than expected, though some #aurora sightings have been reported. 🌌
The magnetic field strength is currently ~13 nT — we’ll keep watching how this develops in the coming hours 🧐

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Austrian Space Weather Office @aswogeosphere.bsky.social · Sep 1

An interplanetary shock has finally arrived at L1 at 20:26 UTC with a total magnetic field strength of 26 nT and an arrival speed of 650 km/s. Probably a bit late for Central Europe, but we hope that #aurora hunters elsewhere get to enjoy a good show! 🌌💫

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Austrian Space Weather Office @aswogeosphere.bsky.social · Sep 1

While we are still waiting for the Aug 30 #solarstorm to arrive at Earth - a later arrival means diminishing chances for #aurora in Europe but better chances for North America - a new submitted paper lead by Emma Davies @spacedavies.bsky.social is already featured at the @newscientist.com (paywall).

Spacecraft used to forecast solar storm 15 hours before it hit Earth

The Solar Orbiter spacecraft sometimes lies directly between the sun and Earth, making it ideally placed to analyse powerful solar storms that could damage electronic systems on our planet

www.newscientist.com

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Austrian Space Weather Office @aswogeosphere.bsky.social · Sep 1

Update: The expected #solarstorm has not yet arrived. Solar wind conditions remain calm, reducing #aurora chances for Central Europe tonight.
🔭 We’re watching closely for the shock to appear in L1 data. Fingers crossed for a timely (and geo-effective) arrival!🤞💫

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Austrian Space Weather Office @aswogeosphere.bsky.social · Aug 31

Our Sun-to Earth propagation model ELEvo predicts the CME arrival tomorrow, 1 September, around 1 pm UTC with an estimated arrival speed of 836 km/s.
🌌 This could bring chances for #auroras in the night from Monday to Tuesday. Stay tuned!

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Austrian Space Weather Office @aswogeosphere.bsky.social · Aug 31

🌍 The eruption is Earth-directed, with a halo CME captured by LASCO/C3.

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