Authors: D.F. Webb , D.R. Mizuno, J.C. Johnston; J.B. Mozer, R.R. Radick;
B.V. Jackson; S. J. Tappin, G.M. Simnett
Affiliation: ISR, Boston College Air Force Research Laboratory, Space Vehicles
Directorate, Hanscom AFB, MA; Air Force Research Laboratory, Space Vehicles
Directorate, Sacramento Peak, Sunspot, NM; CASS, University of California, San
Diego; ASRG, University of Birmingham, UK
The Solar Mass Ejection Imager (SMEI) experiment on the STP Coriolis mission has been recording all-sky, white light images on each 101-minute orbit for over one year. SMEI is fixed to the spacecraft and views the sky above Earth using sunlight-rejecting baffles and CCD camera technology. When fully calibrated, sky maps of structures having enhanced electron density in the inner heliosphere will be routinely produced. We present some results of the early analysis of SMEI observations of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) traveling through the heliosphere. These include observations of ~100 CMEs, a number of which were observed as frontside halo events by LASCO. At least 3 of these, in late May and late October 2003, propagated to and beyond 1 AU and were associated with major geomagnetic storms at Earth. We will show examples of the CMEs and of 3D reconstructions using both interplanetary scintillation (IPS) and SMEI data being developed to analyze the evolution of heliospheric plasma, including transient CMEs and corotating dense regions.