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Full-Text Articles in The Sun and the Solar System
Constraining The Impact Threat From Small Bodies In Near Earth And Cislunar Space, Skylar G. Butler, Jarrett Dieterle, Henry Sanders, Aiden Kelleher
Constraining The Impact Threat From Small Bodies In Near Earth And Cislunar Space, Skylar G. Butler, Jarrett Dieterle, Henry Sanders, Aiden Kelleher
Student Research Symposium (SRS)
Understanding and mitigating the impact threat posed by small bodies in near-Earth and cislunar space is vital for planetary defense, spacecraft safety, and sustainable space operations. This research integrates dynamical evolution modeling, synthetic observations, and reprocessed infrared data to assess the origins and potential hazards of debris from young asteroid families. By modeling the trajectories and orbital evolution of fragments from the Datura, Emilkowalski, 1992 YC2, Lucascavin (Nesvorný & Vokrouhlický, 2006), and Veritas (Nesvorný et al., 2003) families, we constrain how these sources contribute to near-Earth debris populations. Reprocessing Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) data with Fourier-filtering techniques reveals fine-structure variations …
Solar Wind–Magnetosphere Coupling During The September 2025 Cme: Multi-Spacecraft Analysis Using Mms And Omni Data, Skylar G. Butler, Margret Stanley
Solar Wind–Magnetosphere Coupling During The September 2025 Cme: Multi-Spacecraft Analysis Using Mms And Omni Data, Skylar G. Butler, Margret Stanley
Student Research Symposium (SRS)
A sequence of two coronal mass ejections (CMEs) impacted Earth in early September 2025, producing consecutive geomagnetic disturbances. The first CME, launched on 31 August 2025 and observed as a halo in SOHO/LASCO imagery, reached Earth on 1 September (~20:45 UTC), generating a clear interplanetary shock. OMNI 1-min solar-wind data show a sudden rise in |B| from ≈ 5 nT to > 25 nT, proton density and velocity increases (≈ 350 → 600 km s⁻¹), and a southward IMF Bz interval that drove enhanced coupling. The Kyoto Dst index recorded a sudden storm commencement followed by a minimum of −75 nT …
Modeling The Secondary Catastrophic Disruption Of The Veritas Family, Jarrett Dieterle, Skylar G. Butler, Aiden Kelleher
Modeling The Secondary Catastrophic Disruption Of The Veritas Family, Jarrett Dieterle, Skylar G. Butler, Aiden Kelleher
Student Research Symposium (SRS)
The Veritas asteroid family, located in the outer main belt, is believed to have formed from the catastrophic breakup of a parent body approximately 8.3 million years ago (e.g., Nesvorný et al., 2003). Larger fragments remained in the main belt, while smaller particles evolved inward under radiation forces, forming a toroidal dust structure observable in infrared data as paired bands. Previous studies (e.g., Dermott et al., 2001) have shown that these bands can be linked to their parent families and modeled from their initial disruptions. We propose that the 10° dust bands associated with Veritas may record evidence of a …
Building The Erau Solar Telescope: Advancing Heliophysics Research And Education Through Optical Innovation, Erin Abraham, Sarah Hoover, Skylar G. Butler, Margret Stanley, Gwynlyn Hannah
Building The Erau Solar Telescope: Advancing Heliophysics Research And Education Through Optical Innovation, Erin Abraham, Sarah Hoover, Skylar G. Butler, Margret Stanley, Gwynlyn Hannah
Student Research Symposium (SRS)
The new Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) Solar Telescope represents a campus-wide collaboration to design and install a high-resolution solar observatory. The ERAU solar telescope, aiming for first light by Summer 2026, will integrate research-grade instrumentation, student training opportunities, and expand public engagement with the ERAU observatory. The telescope is housed within a 2.3-meter refurbished dome structure whose electrical and structural systems are being upgraded to support automated dome rotation and environmental stabilization. The optical design features a multi-element lens and mirror assembly optimized for a 1° field of view. The optical assembly includes a downport centered in the dome that …
Characterizing The Solar Sources Of Periodic Mesoscale Solar Wind Structures Responsible For Radiation Belt Particle Loss: Results And Implications For Space Weather Forecasting, Grace Gratton
Student Research Symposium (SRS)
It is now well-established that the ambient solar wind is dynamic and highly structured at mesoscales – scales larger than kinetic, but smaller than CMEs/SIRs. These structures are often created at the Sun and survive to 1 AU, where they form the ground-state of space weather as they continually buffet Earth's magnetosphere, the moon, and Mars. Two primary ways that mesoscale structures pose significant risks to spacecraft and astronauts are through driving radiation belt depletion, and amplifying the hazards of CMEs and SIRs through upstream solar wind preconditioning. Characterizing the solar origins and solar wind properties of geoeffective mesoscale structures …