The Sun constantly sends out a stream of charged particles called the solar wind. Sometimes, large eruptions from the Sun—called coronal mass ejections (CMEs)—can disturb this wind and cause space weather events that may affect satellites, communication systems, and power grids on Earth. To predict these events, we need a better way to monitor the solar wind as it moves through space.

This study presents a new ground-based system that uses radio waves to observe changes in the solar wind. By watching how radio signals from distant galaxies flicker—like stars twinkling in the night sky—we can learn about the invisible solar wind moving between the Sun and Earth.

We are building a next-generation observation system in Japan that uses many small antennas working together to watch more areas of space at once. We also use computer simulations to understand what we see and predict how solar storms might move.

By combining these new tools with similar efforts around the world, we hope to create a global network that can track solar wind and CMEs in three dimensions. This will help scientists give earlier and more accurate warnings of space weather.