Tag

Coronal Heating

All articles tagged with #coronal heating

science-space20 days ago•203 min saved

Sun’s surface whirlpools revealed by ultra-high-resolution telescope

Using the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope near Maui, scientists captured the Sun’s visible surface in unprecedented detail, revealing Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities—tiny swirling vortices along magnetic boundaries—that could explain why the Sun’s outer atmosphere (the corona) is hotter than its surface and how magnetic energy is built, released and transported to drive solar flares and coronal mass ejections. The observations align with advanced simulations and may improve space-weather forecasting that affects satellites and power grids.

via CNN|

#coronal-heating #inouye-solar-telescope #kelvin-helmholtz-instability

science2 months ago•12 min saved

Solar Enigma: Why the Corona Outshines the Sun’s Surface

The Sun’s visible surface sits at about 5,500°C while the corona soars to 1–2 million degrees; scientists agree magnetic energy powers this heating but debate remains over whether Alfvén waves, nanoflares, or a combination drive it, with missions like Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter narrowing the options but not yet solving the mystery.

via Space Daily|

#alfven-waves #coronal-heating #nanoflares

science1 year ago•4 min saved

NASA's Parker Probe Reveals New Insights Into the Sun's Atmosphere and Solar Wind

NASA's Parker Solar Probe has found evidence of a 'helicity barrier' in the Sun's atmosphere, which could help explain the long-standing mystery of why the Sun's corona is much hotter than its surface and improve understanding of solar wind acceleration. The study suggests that this barrier influences plasma heating and magnetic fluctuations, with implications for space weather and astrophysics. Further analysis is needed, but the findings are promising for solving key solar physics puzzles.

via IFLScience|

#coronal-heating #helium-barrier #nasa-parker-solar-probe

science1 year ago•4 min saved

NASA's Parker Solar Probe Reveals Sun's Helicity Barrier

via IFLScience|

#coronal-heating #helium-barrier #nasa-parker-solar-probe

space-science2 years ago•2 min saved

Unveiling the Hidden Depths of the Sun: Solar Orbiter's Miniflare Revelations

Solar Orbiter, a joint mission by the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA, has captured images of tiny energy jets called picojets or picoflares on the sun's surface. These short-lived jets, lasting only 20 to 100 seconds, carry a significant amount of energy and could contribute to the mystery of why the sun's corona is much hotter than its visible surface. The spacecraft's discoveries also include flickering flares called campfires. By teaming up with NASA's Parker Solar Probe, Solar Orbiter aims to gather more data to better understand these phenomena and the origin of the solar wind.

via Space.com|

#coronal-heating #picojets #scientific-discovery

science-and-exploration2 years ago•5 min saved

"Solar Orbiter Unravels Decades-Old Solar Enigma"

The Solar Orbiter spacecraft and NASA's Parker Solar Probe have provided the first simultaneous measurements of the large-scale configuration of the Sun's corona and the microphysical properties of the plasma, helping to solve the 65-year-old mystery of why the Sun's atmosphere is hotter than its surface. By comparing the newly measured rate of coronal heating to theoretical predictions, researchers have shown that turbulence in the solar atmosphere is likely responsible for transferring energy and heating the plasma. This groundbreaking research represents a significant step forward in understanding the coronal heating problem.

via European Space Agency|

#coronal-heating #parker-solar-probe #science-and-exploration

space-science2 years ago•2 min saved

Unraveling the Mystery of the Sun's Scorching Outer Atmosphere

Scientists have discovered that weak but steady waves, known as low amplitude decayless kink oscillations, may explain the extreme heat in the sun's outer atmosphere, or corona. These waves, which do not decay in strength over multiple cycles, vibrate in the same direction and are likely associated with long-duration flows on the solar surface. The findings suggest that energy from the sun's surface can reach the corona and heat it, providing important insights into the long-standing question of what heats the sun's outer atmosphere.

via Space.com|

#coronal-heating #solar-atmosphere #solar-physics

science-and-astronomy3 years ago•3 min saved

"Unveiling the Enigma: Scientists Unravel the Sun's Greatest Mystery"

Scientists using the Solar Orbiter spacecraft have discovered small-scale fast-moving magnetic waves on the sun's surface that may explain the inexplicably high temperatures of the corona, the sun's outer atmosphere. These waves produce significant energy and could account for the temperature difference between the sun's surface and the corona. The findings provide new evidence that magnetic waves play a key role in heating the corona, a mystery that has puzzled scientists for decades.

via Space.com|

#corona #coronal-heating #magnetic-waves

science3 years ago•4 min saved

The Sun's Role in the Origin of Life: New Findings by Scientists and Students.

A team of physicists recruited around 1,000 undergraduate students at the University of Colorado Boulder to help answer one of the most enduring questions about the sun: How does the star's outermost atmosphere, or "corona," get so hot? The students' results cast doubt on the theory that especially tiny flares, or "nanoflares," may be responsible for superheating the sun's corona, as a popular theory in astrophysics suggests. The study's actual findings aren't its only important results. The students were able to learn first-hand about the collaborative and often-messy way that scientific research works in the real world.

via Phys.org|

#astrophysics #coronal-heating #science