Space
What Causes Sunspot Formation and Massive Explosions on Our Sun
Catherine Griffin
First Posted: Oct 01, 2015 10:31 AM EDT
Imagine a planet-sized bundle of intense, magnetic field lines; that's exactly what a sunspot is. Now, researchers have taken a closer look at how these events drive massive, explosive reactions that are responsible for sending billions of tons of solar particles toward our planet.
Sunspots create intense magnetic fields that energize the sun's atmosphere. This, in turn, often triggers solar flares and ejects that have a direct impact on the space environment around earth. How sunspots are born, how they evolve, and how they impact space weather are questions that are central to our understanding of the sun and the magnetic relation between the sun and the Earth.
In this latest study, the researchers analyzed observations of sunspots as they formed taken by Hinode, the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) satellites. The researchers modeled the observations using numerical simulations, revealing what occurs during the course of sunspot formation.
So what does happen exactly? During formation, there are territorial struggles between magnetic bundles emerging onto the sun surface. This drives the formation of so-called "light bridges" and the generation of plasma jets and explosions.
More specifically, streams of magnetism in the solar interior bursts onto the surface of the sun. The emerging magnetic flux first appears as small bundles, but then self-organizes into larger conglomerates to eventually form a sunspot. As two walls of magnetic flux approach each other during sunspot formation, plasma with weaker magnetic fields is sandwiched between the walls. As the trapped material is squeezed, it appears as a light bridge at the surface. This trapped plasma is misaligned relative to the neighboring strong fields, which results in magnetic reconnection causing repeated eruptions and plasma jets.
The findings are published in the Astrophysical Journal.
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First Posted: Oct 01, 2015 10:31 AM EDT
Imagine a planet-sized bundle of intense, magnetic field lines; that's exactly what a sunspot is. Now, researchers have taken a closer look at how these events drive massive, explosive reactions that are responsible for sending billions of tons of solar particles toward our planet.
Sunspots create intense magnetic fields that energize the sun's atmosphere. This, in turn, often triggers solar flares and ejects that have a direct impact on the space environment around earth. How sunspots are born, how they evolve, and how they impact space weather are questions that are central to our understanding of the sun and the magnetic relation between the sun and the Earth.
In this latest study, the researchers analyzed observations of sunspots as they formed taken by Hinode, the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) satellites. The researchers modeled the observations using numerical simulations, revealing what occurs during the course of sunspot formation.
So what does happen exactly? During formation, there are territorial struggles between magnetic bundles emerging onto the sun surface. This drives the formation of so-called "light bridges" and the generation of plasma jets and explosions.
More specifically, streams of magnetism in the solar interior bursts onto the surface of the sun. The emerging magnetic flux first appears as small bundles, but then self-organizes into larger conglomerates to eventually form a sunspot. As two walls of magnetic flux approach each other during sunspot formation, plasma with weaker magnetic fields is sandwiched between the walls. As the trapped material is squeezed, it appears as a light bridge at the surface. This trapped plasma is misaligned relative to the neighboring strong fields, which results in magnetic reconnection causing repeated eruptions and plasma jets.
The findings are published in the Astrophysical Journal.
Related Stories
NASA Dawn Spacecraft Reveals New Maps and Images of Dwarf Planet Ceres
Earth-like Planets Near Dim Stars May Have Magnetic Fields and Life
For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone