Ryuho Kataoka has been studying space physics, such as aurora and space weather, as the PI of Aurora3D project (stereoscopy of aurora, since 2010), Aurora4D project (Japan's literature survey of ancient red aurora, since 2015), and AuroraX project (international all-sky camera network over Antarctica, since 2022). New SMRAI project is now ongoing to use the AI emulator for auroral space weather forecast (Kataoka et al., 2024). Funded by HBF, he is also designing and building tiny all-sky camera system for auroral observations on the Earth and Mars.
Ryuho Kataoka
Publications
The most recent papers are Japan's citizen science for auroral observation during magnetic storms (Kataoka et al., 2024; 2025). Kataoka+2024 paper was introduced in a recent NASA article.
When RK sabbatical-visited at OIST for a year, he wrote a book “Extreme Space Weather” (2022), targeting graduate students and researchers in a hurry. This book gives an overview of the underlying physics, datasets on complex space weather phenomena, historical event studies traveling back in time, the latest advancements in simulation research, forecasting challenges, and the potential ramifications for future lunar and Mars exploration. Also at OIST at that time, for example, he wrote a paper about Starlink satellites' atmospheric reentry during a magnetic storm (Kataoka et al., 2022).
Teaching
Since 2018, RK has been working for SDGs-related teaching activities for elementary school students as the guest fellow of Seikei Gakuen ESD center. Since 2024, he has also been teaching space plasma physics for gradate students at the University of Tokyo. Citizen science activity is also going on via SNS.
Kyutaro Yanagisawa (M2, Tokyo Univ) has been visiting OIST 3 times in 2025 to study aurora.
Camera installation in Alaska with Yukino Sato (M1, SOKENDAI), Sep. 17-23, 2025
Space Physics Lecture, 110 min talks x 7, Tokyo University, Sep. 29-Oct 1, 2025
Team Member
Dr. Nilam Bhosale (Google Scholar) has joined our team in May 2025 as Postdoctoral Researcher, working on the SMRAI project.
Outreach
- Research talk (about citizen science) for Onna elementary school students at OIST B250, April 28, 2025
- Talk session (about sustainable space) for KOZAROCKS, July 11, 2025
- Career talk for Nago High School studenst at OIST B250, July 18, 2025
- Research talk for Kadokawa Dwango High School Summer Camp students, August 6, 2025
- Research Talk for OIST Kids Campus Tour 2025, August 22, 2025
- Talk session (about scicne x finance) at OIST B250, FDSF Japan Tour in Okinawa, October 29, 2025
Seminar/Workshop
Mars Aurora Workshop, OIST Lab4 E01, August 28-29, 2025
Prof. Kanako Seki seminar, OIST Lab5 D23, August 29, 2025
Arts and Science Workshop, OIST B503, November 10, 2025
Aurora Modeling Symposium, OIST B250, January 19-23, 2026