Launch of the balloon-borne solar observatory Sunrise III on July 10th, 2024.
Image Credit: Wikimedia CommonsAsolar flareshowed new details about magnetic fieldsThe Sun's magnetic field is probably much more complex than thoughtImportance of these findingsA large scientific balloon flew above the Arctic for over six days, carrying a telescope which kept its gaze on the Sun throughout the whole time.
The Sunrise III observations made it possible to track wave propagation through different layers of the solar atmosphere more accurately than before.
Solar flares are produced by sudden changes in magnetic field lines, releasing a burst of energy.
But the recent observations, together with computer modelling, suggest a more complex picture.Rather than simple magnetic threads, scientists found very tightly twisted magnetic fields inside the larger structure.
Launch of the balloon-borne solar observatory Sunrise III on July 10th, 2024. Image Credit: SSC (Mattias Forsberg) via Phys.org
An unusual opportunity to see the Sun without interruption
Waves are observed moving through the Sun
It is the complicated interaction of the hot plasma, varying magnetic fields and waves within this area which causes our Sun to explode in a release of radiation and particles into space. Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons
A
solar flare
showed new details about magnetic fields
The Sun's magnetic field is probably much more complex than thought
Importance of these findings
A large scientific balloon flew above the Arctic for over six days, carrying a telescope which kept its gaze on the Sun throughout the whole time. Flying at an altitude of around 35 kilometres in the stratosphere, the project avoided much of the atmosphere, which often distorts images obtained on the ground. The images it collected provided one of the clearest views yet of the Sun's photosphere and chromosphere.According to a review published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters , the Sunrise III balloon observatory continuously monitored the Sun for six and a half days in July 2024, collecting more than 200 terabytes of data. The observations reveal unprecedented detail from the Sun's photosphere, its visible surface, up to the chromosphere, a layer where many processes that drive solar activity occur.According to Phys.org , the Sunrise III balloon was launched from the Esrange Space Centre in northern Sweden on 10 July 2024 to drift above the Arctic up to the Northwest Territories of Canada. Unlike ground-based observatories, which experience atmospheric turbulence and unpredictable weather conditions, the balloon floated in the stratosphere, where the air is stable and thin.According to the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, this enabled researchers to conduct uninterrupted observations lasting several hours and capture details as small as 50 kilometres despite the Sun being almost 150 million kilometres away.The instrument also monitored the Sun at various wavelengths, including ultraviolet and infrared. Ultraviolet monitoring is particularly important as the Earth's ozone layer of the Earth prevents much of the ultraviolet radiation from reaching ground-based telescopes.One of the mission's key findings concerns acoustic waves travelling through the Sun's lower atmosphere. Scientists already know that turbulence within the solar plasma causes acoustic-type oscillations, which occur every five minutes. The Sunrise III observations made it possible to track wave propagation through different layers of the solar atmosphere more accurately than before. The review says researchers can now study how magnetic fields affect these waves as they travel through 2,000 kilometres of the solar atmosphere.The mission also captured its second-strongest solar flare, giving researchers a detailed look at one of the Sun's most powerful events. Solar flares are produced by sudden changes in magnetic field lines, releasing a burst of energy. In the case of the solar flare, researchers saw bright, long structures in the chromosphere, which appeared because of a change in the magnetic field.Scientists say the results may help explain how small magnetic phenomena contribute to large eruptions on the Sun. Solar flares may affect life on Earth. According to the UK Met Office , strong solar activity has the potential to interfere with satellite communications, radio signals, navigation systems and electricity networks, although the effects depend on the strength and direction of the event.Some of the most interesting observations involved small magnetic structures resembling rotating vortices in the Sun's atmosphere, sometimes called solar tornadoes. Previously, it was thought that the magnetic field lines coming up from relatively quiet parts of the Sun were quite well-organised. But the recent observations, together with computer modelling, suggest a more complex picture.Rather than simple magnetic threads, scientists found very tightly twisted magnetic fields inside the larger structure. It seems that these twists channel the hot plasma along the chromosphere, possibly creating small tornadoes. The findings suggest that magnetic fields in relatively quiet regions of the Sun may be more intricate than previously believed.The activity on the surface of the Sun creates space weather, which is defined as variable conditions in space because of the actions of the Sun. Solar eruptions may cause charged particles and high radiation levels to reach Earth, potentially disrupting satellites, astronauts, air traffic, and power grids. A deeper understanding of how magnetic fields change before and during solar eruptions will eventually help to improve predictions of destructive space weather phenomena.Sami K. Solanki, head of the Sunrise III project at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, noted that the mission had already helped to enhance scientists' knowledge about the Sun as it revealed how minute structures and rapid processes in the photosphere and chromosphere shape the Sun's behaviour.
