Indian astronomer reveals the hidden clue that could help predict violent eruptions from Sun
Categories: SCIENCE NEWS
Indian astronomers studying the Sun have determined that studying the changing structure of the star's magnetic field can help predict a solar flare or a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME). The improved understanding of the phenomenon can help better prepare to deal with a solar flare or to predict space weather which can affect electrical, and communication systems on Earth and satellite systems and astronauts in space. The scientists studied this astronomical event based on the magnetic and coronal images of the Sun, which has been published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. The study showed that active regions where the sign of the helicity (or twist) reverses with time cannot produce coronal mass ejection. The Sun has a complex magnetic field near its surface that is connected to its hot plasma and changes its configuration all the time as the plasma itself moves around in this field. This magnetic field can erupt out of some regions (called Active Regions) on the Sun's surface in loops, become twisted, realign its geometry, and release tremendous amounts of energy in the process. “Surprisingly, the magnetic structure that we derived from the data did not show any twist in the core of the active region,” said Dr P Vemareddy. The astronomers concluded that studies of how helicity is injected seem to be key to predict the eruptive potential of an active region, and these results are expected to shed light on magnetic field production in stars and planets as well.