NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) has observed a kind of magnetic explosion on the sun that scientists have never seen before. The spacecraft spied the explosion in the scorching upper reaches of the sun’s atmosphere, when a prominence — a large loop of material launched by an eruption on the solar surface — started falling back to the sun’s surface. But before it could make it, the prominence ran into a snarl of magnetic field lines, sparking a magnetic explosion.
EarthSky 2020 lunar calendars are available! They make great gifts. Order now. Going fast!
A solar prominence (also known as a filament when viewed against the solar disk) is a large, bright feature extending outward from the sun’s surface. Prominences are anchored to the sun’s surface in the photosphere, and extend outwards into the sun’s hot outer atmosphere, called the corona. A prominence forms over timescales of about a day, and stable prominences may persist in the corona for several months, looping hundreds of thousands of miles into space. This image, from March 2010, shows a solar eruptive prominence, with Earth superimposed for a sense of scale. Image via NASA/SDO.
This new kind of magnetic explosion – called forced magnetic reconnection – has been theoretical until now. According to a NASA statement from December 17, 2019:
Scientists have previously seen the explosive snap and realignment of tangled magnetic field lines on the sun — a process known as magnetic reconnection — but never one that had been triggered by a nearby eruption. The observation, which confirms a decade-old theory, may help scientists understand a key mystery about the sun’s atmosphere, better predict space weather, and may also lead to breakthroughs in the controlled fusion and lab plasma experiments.
Although never seen directly, this kind of forced magnetic reconnection explosion was first theorized 15 years ago. The new observations were published December 17, 2019, in the Astrophysical Journal.
This image shows the sun on May 3, 2012, with the inset showing a close-up of the reconnection event imaged by SDO’s Atmospheric Imaging Assembly instrument, where the signature X-shape is visible. Image via NASA/ SDO/ Abhishek Srivastava/ IIT(BHU).
Read more about the new findings from NASA.
Bottom line: A NASA video explains a new kind of explosion observed from the sun.
Source: On the Observations of Rapid Forced Reconnection in the Solar Corona
from EarthSky https://ift.tt/35CHpRp
NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) has observed a kind of magnetic explosion on the sun that scientists have never seen before. The spacecraft spied the explosion in the scorching upper reaches of the sun’s atmosphere, when a prominence — a large loop of material launched by an eruption on the solar surface — started falling back to the sun’s surface. But before it could make it, the prominence ran into a snarl of magnetic field lines, sparking a magnetic explosion.
EarthSky 2020 lunar calendars are available! They make great gifts. Order now. Going fast!
A solar prominence (also known as a filament when viewed against the solar disk) is a large, bright feature extending outward from the sun’s surface. Prominences are anchored to the sun’s surface in the photosphere, and extend outwards into the sun’s hot outer atmosphere, called the corona. A prominence forms over timescales of about a day, and stable prominences may persist in the corona for several months, looping hundreds of thousands of miles into space. This image, from March 2010, shows a solar eruptive prominence, with Earth superimposed for a sense of scale. Image via NASA/SDO.
This new kind of magnetic explosion – called forced magnetic reconnection – has been theoretical until now. According to a NASA statement from December 17, 2019:
Scientists have previously seen the explosive snap and realignment of tangled magnetic field lines on the sun — a process known as magnetic reconnection — but never one that had been triggered by a nearby eruption. The observation, which confirms a decade-old theory, may help scientists understand a key mystery about the sun’s atmosphere, better predict space weather, and may also lead to breakthroughs in the controlled fusion and lab plasma experiments.
Although never seen directly, this kind of forced magnetic reconnection explosion was first theorized 15 years ago. The new observations were published December 17, 2019, in the Astrophysical Journal.
This image shows the sun on May 3, 2012, with the inset showing a close-up of the reconnection event imaged by SDO’s Atmospheric Imaging Assembly instrument, where the signature X-shape is visible. Image via NASA/ SDO/ Abhishek Srivastava/ IIT(BHU).
Read more about the new findings from NASA.
Bottom line: A NASA video explains a new kind of explosion observed from the sun.
Source: On the Observations of Rapid Forced Reconnection in the Solar Corona
from EarthSky https://ift.tt/35CHpRp
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire