New AI Detects Hidden Warning Signs of Solar Eruptions Hours Before They Emerge
Researchers have developed an AI model called EarlyDetect that can identify signs of solar active regions nearly nine hours before they become visible. This technology could help satellite and power grid operators prepare for potential damage from solar storms.
Why it matters
Improved solar forecasting is essential for protecting critical modern infrastructure from the disruptive effects of space weather.
AI detected faint signs of emerging solar active regions about nine hours before they became visible on average.
Before a sunspot darkens the Sun’s visible surface, the magnetic activity that creates it is already developing out of sight. Those early changes are faint, but researchers say artificial intelligence can now recognize them hours before a new solar active region becomes visible.
A model called EarlyDetect detected signs of emerging active regions an average of nearly nine hours ahead of their appearance. The system was developed by a New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) led research team and described Aug. 14 in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Machine Learning and Computation .
EarlyDetect searches for precursor patterns in both the Sun’s acoustic activity and magnetic field, signals that scientists have previously struggled to identify reliably.
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