A high-latitude coronal mass ejection observed by a constellation of coronagraphs: Solar Orbiter/Metis, STEREO-A/COR2, and SOHO/LASCO

¹ University of Calabria, Physics Department, Ponte P. Bucci, Cubo 31 C, Rende, Italy
e-mail: gaetano.zimbardo@fis.unical.it
² Purple Mountain Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210023, PR China
³ Universidad de Alcalá, Space Research Group, Alcalá de Henares, 28801 Madrid, Spain
⁴ Advanced Heliophysics Inc., Pasadena, CA, USA
⁵ INAF – Capodimonte Astronomical Observatory, Salita Moiariello 16, 80131 Naples, Italy
⁶ Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences, India
⁷ INAF – Turin Astrophysical Observatory, Via Osservatorio 20, 10025 Pino Torinese, TO, Italy
⁸ University of Catania – Physics and Astronomy Department “Ettore Majorana”, Via Santa Sofia 64, 95123 Catania, Italy
⁹ Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 3, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
¹⁰ School of Physical and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
¹¹ Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
¹² University College London, Mullard Space Science Laboratory, Holmbury St. Mary, Dorking, Surrey RH5 6NT, UK
¹³ Astrophysics Research Centre, School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen’s University Belfast, University Road, Belfast BT7 1NN, UK
¹⁴ SIDC, Royal Observatory of Belgium, Brussels, Belgium
¹⁵ Center for Mathematical Plasma Astrophysics, Department of Mathematics, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200B, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
¹⁶ University of Padova – Physics and Astronomy Department “Galileo Galilei”, Via F. Marzolo 8, 35131 Padua, Italy
¹⁷ University of Florence – Physics and Astronomy Department, Via Sansone 1, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, FI, Italy
¹⁸ INAF – Catania Astrophysical Observatory, Via Santa Sofia 78, 95123 Catania, Italy
¹⁹ Agenzia Spaziale Italiana, Via del Politecnico, 00133 Rome, Italy
²⁰ Naval Research Laboratory, 4555 Overlook Ave. SW, Washington, DC 20375, USA
²¹ Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Turku, 20014 Turku, Finland
²² Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
²³ California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
²⁴ University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
²⁵ Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
²⁶ INAF – Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Largo Enrico Fermi 5, 50125 Florence, Italy
²⁷ INAF, Astronomical Observatory of Trieste, Località Basovizza 302, 34149 Trieste, Italy
²⁸ INAF, Institute of Space Astrophysics and Cosmic Physics of Milan, Via Alfonso Corti 12, 20133 Milano, Italy

Received: 28 January 2023
Accepted: 2 June 2023

Abstract

Context. A few days before the first perihelion of the Solar Orbiter nominal mission, which occurred on 2022 March 26, the Metis coronagraph on board Solar Orbiter detected a coronal mass ejection (CME) that was moving away from the far side of the Sun (with respect to Solar Orbiter) at high northern latitudes. The eruption was also seen by other spacecraft, in particular, by STEREO-A, which was in quadrature configuration with Solar Orbiter.

Aims. We analyse the different views of the CME by a constellation of spacecraft with the purpose to determine the speed and acceleration of the CME, and to identify the source region of the CME.

Methods. Considering the positions of various spacecraft on 2022 March 22, this CME happened to be within the field of view of STEREO-A/SECCHI, and it was visible over the limb from SOHO/LASCO. We present the results of the 3D reconstruction of the CME based on the graduated cylindrical shell model and of the identification of the possible origin of the CME using extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) observations by Solar Orbiter/EUI, STEREO-A/EUVI, and SDO/AIA. The observations in EUV are compared with the coronal magnetic structure obtained by the potential field source surface method.

Results. The 3D reconstruction of the CME derives a central latitude of 29° N, a Stonyhurst longitude of −125°, and an average radial speed at the apex of 322 ± 33 km s⁻¹ between 4 and 13 R_⊙, which is probably not high enough to generate a shock wave. The estimated average acceleration of the CME is 16 ± 11 m s⁻² in the same range of distances from the Sun. This CME may be associated with the disappearance of a coronal cloud prominence, which is seen in the EUV by STEREO-A/EUVI and SDO/AIA, and is also associated with rapidly evolving emerging magnetic flux.