The dynamic space environment that surrounds the Earth is constantly permeated by solar flares – colossal ejections of clouds of magnetic energy and plasma, hot gas and electrically charged particles from the surface of the Sun into space. All these phenomena interact with the earth's magnetic fields, forming the so-called space weather.
NASA's new EEGGL tool is helping to map the paths of these magnetically structured clouds and coronal mass ejections before they even reach Earth. Designed specifically to simulate solar storms, EEGGL is designed to help NASA research and provide all the information it needs to the Coordinated Simulation Center (CCMC) community at NASA's Mission Control Center in Greenbelt.
NASA scientists are confident that such computer models can help them better understand exactly how the Sun will affect near-Earth space, and will also help significantly improve the ability to predict space weather.
Sources: NASA
