Magnetic waves make the Sun’s corona chemically different from the other layers of the star

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The Sun’s corona, the outermost layer that can reach temperatures above one million degrees Celsius, is chemically very different from the rest of the star despite being physically connected.

Astronomers have been unable to explain and demonstrate this phenomenon for more than half a century, making it one of the enduring enigmas of astronomy.

Now, researchers have found the first observational evidence showing magnetic waves in the chromosphere (the middle layer of the Sun) splitting the plasma, forcing only charged ions into the corona and leaving neutral particles behind.

An article published today by astronomers at University College London and the Italian Space Agency provides the first evidence to support this long-standing theory.

Researchers have found the first observational evidence showing magnetic waves in the chromosphere (the middle layer of the Sun) that divides the plasma, forcing only charged ions into the corona and leaving neutral particles behind.

Researchers have found the first observational evidence showing magnetic waves in the chromosphere (the middle layer of the Sun) that divides the plasma, forcing only charged ions into the corona and leaving neutral particles behind.

The researchers analyzed data from New Mexico telescopes and space to simultaneously observe the same part of the Sun in an attempt to find the waves.

The observed patterns were recreated by computer modeling and the scientists found that the waves reflected in the chromosphere were magnetically bound to areas of abundant ionized particles in the corona.

“These results indicate a connection between the chromosphere activity of sunspots and observable changes in coronary plasma composition,” the researchers write in their study, published today in The Astrophysical Journal.

The theory of magnetic waves splitting plasma and forcing ions in the corona was first postulated in the 1960s.

What causes the waves remains unknown, but scientists believe they are generated in the volatile corona by millions of mini-explosions, known as nanoflares.

Dr. Deborah Baker, lead author of the study, told MailOnline: “The different chemical compositions of the inner and outer layers of the Sun were first observed more than 50 years ago.

“This discovery spawned what is one of the long – standing open questions in astrophysics.

‘The difference in composition is striking, as the layers are physically bound and the matter in the crown originates in the innermost layer, the photosphere.

“Now, thanks to a unique combination of terrestrial and space-based observations of the solar atmosphere, made almost simultaneously, it has been possible to definitively detect magnetic waves in the chromosphere and relate them to an abundance of elements in the corona that are not found in the inner regions of the Sun. ‘

Dr. Marco Stangalini of the Italian Space Agency in Rome says the findings are true for other stars as well as for the Sun.

“By observing our local laboratory, the Sun, we can improve our understanding of the Universe far beyond,” he says.

The theory of magnetic waves splitting plasma and forcing ions in the corona was first postulated in the 1960s. What causes the waves remains unknown, but scientists believe they are generated in the volatile corona by millions of mini-explosions, known as nanoflares. In the image, the surface of the Sun.

The theory of magnetic waves splitting plasma and forcing ions in the corona was first postulated in the 1960s. What causes the waves remains unknown, but scientists believe they are generated in the volatile corona by millions of mini-explosions, known as nanoflares. In the image, the surface of the Sun.

Astronomers are more interested in the Sun’s corona than ever because of its role in creating the solar wind.

It is the solar wind, which carries ions 92 million kilometers from the Sun to Earth, that creates the northern and southern lights.

As these charged particles reach the Earth’s magnetic field, which is the most powerful at the poles, they release energy and this manifests itself as the fascinating celestial light shows what we see on Earth, visible at high and low latitudes.

However, when the constant flow of charged particles becomes a deluge after a violent belch from the surface of the Sun, this can affect delicate electrical systems and satellite-dependent industries.

“Identifying the processes that make up the corona is crucial as we try to better understand the solar wind, a flow of charged particles flowing into the Sun, which can alter and damage the Earth’s satellites and infrastructure,” says Dr. Baker.

“Our new findings will help us analyze the solar wind and trace it back to where the Sun’s atmosphere came from.”

“Field fires” in the sun: Solar Orbiter captures the “closest images” of the sun 47 million kilometers away

The British-based European space agency Solar Orbiter has captured the closest images of the Sun and did so while flying between the orbits of Venus and Mercury, according to the British space agency.

Stunning images taken by the Solar Orbiter as they are 47 million miles away from the surface of our host star include signs of mini solar flares that the scientists behind the probe have dubbed “bonfires.”

Solar flares are brief eruptions of high-energy radiation from the Sun’s surface and these “bonfires” are millions of times smaller than normal star flares.

The images were captured in mid-June while the Solar Orbiter was still in the testing phase, so the team said the images will be in higher resolution as the probe approaches the Sun.

In the closest approach to our star, the Solar Orbiter will be 26 million miles from the Sun’s surface, that is, closer than the 37 million kilometers that is Mercury from the Sun and will reach the end next year.

The most important discovery was the presence of these “bonfires”, also known as “nano-flares” that were splashed on the surface of the Sun, according to astronomers: they are bright and dynamic eruptions.

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