NASA's PUNCH mission has recently released its initial images of massive solar eruptions called coronal mass ejections (CMEs), providing an unparalleled, wide-field perspective on how these solar storms move through the inner solar system.

CMEs are extensive streams of plasma and magnetic field discharged from the sun. When directed towards Earth, they can cause geomagnetic storms that disrupt satellites, GPS, and pose dangers to astronauts. These geomagnetic storms can also intensify auroras, resulting in spectacular light displays beyond their usual geographical range. Understanding the mechanisms behind these significant factors in space weather will not only safeguard satellites, astronauts, and infrastructure but also give us a better understanding of when to anticipate dramatic aurora phenomena.

The new CME images, captured between late May and early June 2025 by three of PUNCH's four spacecraft, were unveiled at the 246th American Astronomical Society meeting in Anchorage, Alaska. The PUNCH spacecraft is equipped with four cameras that collectively create a 'virtual instrument,' enabling scientists to monitor CMEs across the inner solar system with unprecedented detail.

'These initial images are remarkable, but there is more to come,' stated Craig DeForest, the PUNCH principal investigator from the Solar System Science and Exploration Division at Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado. 'Once the spacecraft are in their final formation, we will be able to regularly monitor space weather in 3D throughout the entire inner solar system.'

In a compiled video sequence, viewers can witness massive CMEs expanding in all directions, with some heading directly towards the camera. The backdrop includes the moon, Venus, Jupiter, and the Orion constellation.

The moon appears as a bright object on the left side of the frame at the beginning of the video. The Orion constellation is situated at the lower left, while Jupiter is slightly left of the center and Venus is on the far right. The sun is denoted by a yellow dot in the center, with a dashed white circle representing the field of view of the older LASCO C3 coronagraph on NASA-ESA's SOHO spacecraft.

The fourth spacecraft's Narrow Field Imager (NFI), a coronagraph designed to block the sun's light, captured a CME in intricate detail on June 3. The bulb-shaped eruption emerges above the darkened sun, showcasing the instrument's capability to observe the sun's outer atmosphere meticulously.

PUNCH was launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 11:10 p.m. EST on March 12, 2025 (0310 March 12 GMT), alongside the SPHEREx space telescope. The mission comprises four small satellites operating together in sun-synchronous orbit, where the satellite maintains a 'fixed' position relative to the sun.

Throughout its planned two-year mission, PUNCH will provide continuous, global 3D observations of the sun's outer atmosphere and the inner solar system. By monitoring how solar material escapes to create the solar wind, scientists aim to gain a clearer understanding of how space weather, including significant events like CMEs and solar flares, develops and progresses. Ultimately, this research could enhance forecasts of space weather impacts on satellites, astronauts, and technological systems on Earth.