Some of the great cosmic secrets are much closer to the source than you might think.
Take our Sun - the source of energy for all life on Earth. It generates powerful flares and coronary mass ejections, energizing the interplanetary space, creating a beautiful aurora at high latitudes of our planet. However, the Sun itself has a mysterious hot atmosphere, the causes of which until recently were completely incomprehensible. Now, with the help of complex computer simulation based on careful observation, this long-standing mystery is gradually beginning to be revealed.
The basis that drives our Sun is its dominant magnetic field, which heats the solar atmosphere, called the corona, to millions of degrees. Similar to the glowing filaments of an electric fireplace, the magnetic field lines rise from the depths of the sun and reach its crown. These dynamically loops of superheated plasma, called coronal loops, are believed to form the basis of the coronary heating mechanism.
These field lines are very dynamic, constantly increasing and decreasing in accordance with the eleven-year solar cycle. For reasons not yet understood, this internal solar generator becomes more intense about every 11 years. At this point, solar activity increases, and then breaks out. This period we call the maximum solar activity. Space meteorologists predict an increase in magnetic activity, which triggers a cluster of active regions and dark points, called sunspots. At this time, massive solar eruptions that can affect our planet reach their peak. That is why such attention is paid to the sun. Our high-tech civilization depends on an entire armada of satellites, and we are increasingly dependent on devices connected to our global network that govern our daily lives. If the Sun generates a powerful coronary mass ejection in our direction, which consists of a bubble of high-energy particles, it can tear our planetary magnetosphere to shreds, neutralize our satellites and cause an overload of the national energy systems. If the last moment seems to be something of science fiction, remember the power outage of Hydro-Québec in Canada in 1989. Yes, the same happens. Suddenly, the city will plunge into darkness and stop receiving messages on social networks.
Animation of the magnetic lines of the Sun:
To understand what is behind the solar cycle, why it occurs, the energy processes that control the powerful flares in the solar corona and their influence on the Earth, we must first understand how solar magnetism is generated. Our knowledge in this area is very superficial and fragmentary.
According to Dean Pesnell, a specialist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center), located in Greenbelt, Maryland, scientists are not exactly sure where magnetic fields are created. This can be either deep inside the Sun, or close to the surface, or over a large gap.
As with any other astronomical research, a large amount of data is needed. Therefore, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory is currently working in collaboration with other solar telescopes and space weather observatories to see the Sun’s dynamics in more detail than before. But in order to interpret these observations, we need additional computer models operating with the concepts of physics behind the solar corona. This will explain the phenomenon that we are seeing, and will lead to a better understanding of the state of the Sun, will help space meteorologists predict where and when the next solar storm will strike. In this video, the Potential Field Source Surface Surface (PFSS) model is demonstrated by Holly Gilbert, deputy director of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center at the Heliophysics Science Division. A model like this helps scientists understand how the sun's magnetic fields develop, even providing an imitation of what is happening on its opposite side.
And although we are still far from fully understanding how the generator works inside the Sun, we are well aware of the evil ball of magnetized plasma, which it can send in our direction. Heliophysicists are constantly improving models and ways to predict the moment when another big solar storm hits our planet.
