2024-05-06 17:04:14
The European Space Agency (ESA) managed to capture on video the incredible images of the Sun’s coronawhich show in exquisite detail the transition of the lower atmosphere of the Sol to the outer crown, much hotter. However, what is truly surprising are the phenomena captured that make the star appear “fluffy” and “hairy.”
ESA captures “hairy” and “fluffy” phenomena in the Sun’s corona
In the images taken by ESAthanks to Solar Orbiter, it is seen as if the Sun was full of “hair”. However, these structures that make it look “spongy” are made of charged gas (plasma), following magnetic field lines that emerge from the interior of the Sol.
An intriguing feature, which is visible throughout the video, is the glowing gas that forms delicate lace-like patterns around the Sun. According to the ESAthis is called coronal “moss”. It usually appears around the base of large coronal loops that are too hot or faint to see with your chosen instrument settings.
Coronal moss. | Photo: ESA.
Furthermore, it is possible to observe in the solar horizon: needles of gas, known as spicules, which rise from the chromosphere of the Sol and they can reach up to a height of 10 thousand kilometers.
Solar spicules. | Photo: ESA.
Other freak that it is possible to admire is a “small” rash in the center of the field of view, with cooler material rising upward before falling back down. Despite considering the eruption “small,” experts say that it is larger than the Tierra.
Solar flare. | Photo: ESA.
Refering to “cold” coronal rain As you can see, it looks dark against the bright background of large coronal loops. Rain is formed by accumulations of higher density plasma that fall towards the Sun under the influence of gravity.
Coronal rain. | Photo: ESA.
According to the space agency, the brightest regions that can be seen in the images are around one million degrees Celsius, while the coldest material appears dark because it absorbs radiation.
The video was recorded on September 27, 2023 by the instrument Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) del Solar Orbiter, just when the spacecraft was about a third of the distance away from the Earth to the Sun, and was headed for a closest approach of 43 million kilometers on October 7.
Two missions on the Sun
On the same day this video was recorded, the NASA’s Parker solar probe moved to just 7.26 million kilometers from the solar surfacebut, instead of obtaining images directly from the Sol, Parker measured the particles and the magnetic field in the solar crown and in the solar wind.
This was a perfect opportunity for the two missions to team up, with the remote sensing instruments of the Solar Orbiter led by the ESA observing the region of origin of the solar wind which would later flow beyond Parker Solar Probe.
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