IfA: Astronomers Unveil the Magnetic Field of the Solar Corona

Find out the latest thinking about our universe.
Post Reply
User avatar
bystander
Apathetic Retiree
Posts: 21571
Joined: Mon Aug 28, 2006 2:06 pm
Location: Oklahoma

IfA: Astronomers Unveil the Magnetic Field of the Solar Corona

Post by bystander » Sat Jun 06, 2020 2:27 pm

Astronomers Unveil the Magnetic Field of the Solar Corona
Institute for Astronomy | University of Hawaii | 2020 Jun 04
While the world has been dealing with the corona-virus pandemic, researchers ... have been hard at work studying the solar corona, the outermost atmosphere of the Sun which expands into interplanetary space. This stream of charged particles radiating from the surface of the sun is called the solar wind and expands to fill the entire solar system.

The properties of the solar corona are a consequence of the Sun's complex magnetic field, which is produced in the solar interior and extends outward. A new study by IfA graduate student Benjamin Boe ... used total solar eclipse observations to measure the shape of the coronal magnetic field with higher spatial resolution and over a larger area than ever before.

The corona is most easily seen during a total solar eclipse – when the Moon is directly between the Earth and the Sun, blocking the bright surface of the Sun. Significant technological advances in recent decades have shifted much of the focus to space-based observations at wavelengths of light not accessible from the ground, or to large ground-based telescopes such as the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope on Maui. Despite these advances, some aspects of the corona can only be studied during total solar eclipses.

That is why Boe's advisor and coronal research expert, Shadia Habbal, has led a group of eclipse chasers making scientific observations during solar eclipses for over 20 years. The so-called "Solar Wind Sherpas" travel the globe chasing total solar eclipses, transporting sensitive scientific instruments on planes, helicopters, cars, and even horses to reach the optimal locations. These solar eclipse observations have led to breakthroughs in unveiling some of the secrets of the physical processes defining the corona. ...

Coronal Magnetic Field Topology from Total Solar Eclipse Observations ~ Benjamin Boe et al
Know the quiet place within your heart and touch the rainbow of possibility; be
alive to the gentle breeze of communication, and please stop being such a jerk.
— Garrison Keillor

Post Reply