Our Solar System harbours a variety of planetary bodies each of which provides a unique opportunity to understand how such systems interact with conditions on the Sun and the interplanetary medium and evolve over time. These interactions determine the state of these planetary environments that is collectively termed as Planetary Space weather. Understanding the critical features of star-planet interactions and their impacts on the planetary environment is a rapidly emerging, interdisciplinary field globally which is recognised by the recent formation of an International Astronomical Union Commission (E4) focussed on this issue.
The atmospheres of Venus, Earth and Mars and the surfaces of Mercury and Moon are continuously bombarded by energetic particles, ions, photons and micrometeoroids that alter their environment at various spatial and temporal scales. An understanding of the underlying processes and the drivers are important to define the present state of the system and predict its evolution. Mercury and Moon pose a very different environment called the surface boundary exosphere. In the case of such airless bodies, there is a continuous supply and loss process of the exospheric species of which we have limited understanding. The impact of space weather is also important in the context of planetary atmospheric escape, as well as in the view of our technological assets around these planets. Detailed comparative investigations of these bodies would also be of paramount importance for the study of exo-planetary systems where new insights are emerging with progress in observational capabilities.
The role of theoretical modelling and simulations in this field cannot be overstated. We will discuss the current progress in this area and the future scope and requirements that can drive observations. Needless to say, an amalgamation of theoretical, experimental and observational studies with much-needed efforts in high-quality instrumentation is critical to the progress in this field. Our understanding of the Star-Planet interaction has changed significantly over the last decade with measurements from planetary missions such as Chandrayaan-1 &2, Kaguya, LRO, MESSENGER, THEMIS B&C, MAVEN and the like. Many spacecrafts like Bepi Columbo (to Mercury) have also been acquiring data en route and during flybys (Earth and Venus). The planetary science program in India is also gearing up for a mission to Venus where atmospheric dynamics is one of the main scientific thrust areas. The twin satellite Aeronomy mission that is being planned for the investigation of the space weather around the Earth will also bring in a huge amount of data relevant to this field and in tandem with Aditya-L1, will help to understand the space weather processes with unprecedented details.
Towards the exploration of planetary space environments, this workshop will address A workshop proposal to ASI 2022 current measurements in the inner solar system, theory, modelling and simulations as well as the need for future observations and related instrumentation. The workshop will bring out in a comprehensive manner the current state of knowledge; discuss approaches for utilisation of data from planetary missions for space weather and the way forward.
The following themes will be covered
- New observations of dynamics in near-planetary environments
- Current understanding of drivers of star-planet interactions
- Current capabilities and prospects in modelling planetary space environments
- Future directions for observations and instrumentation
Expected number of participants: 50
Program: Please find the program from the link
Shyama Narendranath, K. Sankarasubramanian, Srikar Tadepalli, URSC/ISRO
Dibyendu Nandi, CESSI, IISER Kolkata
Dibyendu Chakrabarty, PRL
Mohammad Hasan, ISRO HQ
Smitha V Thampi, SPL, VSSC