60-year-old mystery of Sun’s magnetic waves is cracked by scientists

Solar physicists have uncovered how the Sun’s magnetic waves strengthen and grow as they emerge from its surface.

The sunspot from Dunn Solar Telescope at various atmospheric heights – from the surface to the upper chromosphere of the Sun; in which wave propagation through the lower solar atmosphere was studied. Credits: David Jess, Queen’s University Belfast.

Usually the closer we are to a heat source, the warmer we feel. However, this is the opposite of what seems to happen on the Sun – its outer layers are warmer than the heat source at its surface.

A group of scientists from around the world, among them solar physicist Shahin Jafarzadeh from Rosseland Centre for Solar Physics (RoCS), have succeed to the ground-breaking discovery of why the Sun’s magnetic waves grow in strength as they emerge from its surface. This is a big leap in understanding the mystery of how the corona of the Sun maintains its multi-million-degree temperatures.

By Shahin Jafarzadeh, Martina D'Angelo
Published Dec. 11, 2019 2:00 PM - Last modified Feb. 27, 2023 12:04 PM