{
  "id": 148377,
  "title": "NASA's PUNCH sharpens solar storm forecasting in first test",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/04/nasas-punch-sharpens-solar-storm-forecasting-in-first-test-148377",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-04T21:10:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-08-nasa-sharpens-solar-storm.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "NASA's PUNCH mission has made a significant breakthrough in solar storm forecasting, as demonstrated in an initial proof-of-concept test. By utilizing continuous imagery from its four spacecraft in low Earth orbit, scientists have been able to predict the arrival of a solar eruption to within 30 minutes of the event, marking a substantial improvement over previous methods. This technological advancement could potentially revolutionize the way scientists forecast Earth-impacting solar storms, which pose a threat to power grids, satellites, and astronauts. Craig DeForest, the principal investigator for PUNCH at Southwest Research Institute, expressed astonishment at the results, likening them to a leap from a steam engine to a modern internal combustion engine. The PUNCH mission's wide field of view allows for the continuous tracking of solar events across the solar system, providing a new, high-resolution view of coronal mass ejections. In a recent test, scientists used images from a coronal mass ejection observed on May 31, 2025, to retroactively improve forecast models. The resulting model predicted the storm's arrival with remarkable accuracy, 10 times better than current methods that only provide a five-hour window. This breakthrough demonstrates the potential for even more precise forecasting with refined PUNCH data and advanced models, ultimately benefiting space weather forecasting and our understanding of plasma behavior in the solar system.",
  "summary": "Using continuous imagery from NASA's PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) mission, scientists predicted the near-Earth arrival of a solar eruption to within 30 minutes in an initial proof-of-concept test. The results, presented Tuesday at the Committee on Space Research Scientific Meeting and under review at the journal Space Weather, could revolutionize the way Earth-impacting…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "NASA Science",
        "title": "NASA’s PUNCH Sharpens Solar Storm Forecasting in First Test",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/04/nasas-punch-sharpens-solar-storm-forecasting-in-first-test",
        "published": "2026-08-04T18:02:55.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}