Scientists are one step closer to understanding why the Sun’s outer atmosphere is hotter than the star’s surface.
The authors of a new study published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters used the Daniel Inouye Solar Telescope to examine the Sun’s magnetic field in unprecedented detail. As a result, they discovered snake-like energy structures in the magnetic field in the chromosphere (the lower layer of the Sun’s atmosphere) that can transfer energy higher and thus heat the plasma in the corona (the upper layer of the Sun’s atmosphere). ) our star says Space.
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One of the great mysteries in astrophysics is that the sun’s corona is hundreds of times hotter than the star’s surface, or photosphere. The plasma in the corona heats up to almost 1 million degrees Celsius, but the temperature of the photosphere is about 6 thousand degrees Celsius.
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However, this contradicts the fact that the heat source of stars is in the core, so the temperature should increase as you approach this core. Everything in the Sun works according to this rule in all layers except the corona. Something is affecting its heating, and scientists believe that snake-like energy structures in the magnetic field in the Sun’s chromosphere may be behind it, which scientists have discovered.
If previous astrophysicists tried to find a solution to the Sun’s main mystery by studying sunspots, which have strong magnetic fields and where flares and coronal mass ejections are born, the new study aimed to study less active regions.
According to scientists, these regions of the photosphere are covered with convective cells, where magnetic fields are weaker than in sunspots, but more dynamic. It turns out that the orientation of these magnetic fields has tortuous changes.
The study authors note that the more complex the orientation of the magnetic field, the more likely it is that large amounts of energy will be released during magnetic reconnection. This is a process in which two magnetic fields with different orientations interact and release energy. This energy, scientists believe, is what heats the Sun’s atmosphere.
But although the new discovery still brings scientists closer to solving the main mystery of the sun, this hypothesis still needs to be confirmed.
Focus He has previously written about another study aimed at examining the strange temperature imbalance between the Sun’s surface and its outer atmosphere. Scientists have suggested that the heating of the corona may be related to coronal cycles.
Moreover Focus He wrote that astronomers have been able to detect the oldest radio signal coming from space, which is 8 billion years old. Scientists believe this phenomenon will help understand why 50% of ordinary matter is missing in the Universe.
Source: Focus
Ashley Fitzgerald is an accomplished journalist in the field of technology. She currently works as a writer at 24 news breaker. With a deep understanding of the latest technology developments, Ashley’s writing provides readers with insightful analysis and unique perspectives on the industry.