It was not until about 400 years ago, with the invention of telescopes, which we realized the existence of sun spots. Since then, these regions of high magnetism and low luminosity have intrigued astronomers, who have spent the last four centuries trying to unravel their secrets.
Solving the mystery. A group of scientists has resolved one of the enigmas that intrigued those who study sunscreen and their evolution. This is the question of why some sun spots remain in a stable equilibrium that allows them to mangue active, even for months, while other spots fader.
The spots in the solar cycle. Sun spots are not static regions but these are dynamic regions, arise, grow and end up fading over time. Decades ago we know that these are regions where the magnetic field of the sun is especially strong.
The dynamism in these spots marks the passage of the so -called “Solar Cycle”, an 11 -year cycle in which the number of sun spots ranges from a peak of activity and times of relative calm. The abundance of sun spots also implies an increase in solar activity since, according to the team responsible for the new study, the “unstable” magnetic configurations in the surroundings of these spots are responsible for the bursts known as coronal mass ejections (CME).
Correcting the observations. The team responsible for the new study developed a method to analyze with greater reliability and precision solar spots through observations made from terrestrial telescopes. Then they used this method to the observation of the Hispanoaalemán Gregor solar telescope.
The objective of the technique is to eliminate the distortions caused by the Earth’s atmosphere in the images obtained by the telescopes. This allowed to achieve a new quality in the measurements of the solar magnetic field carried out by the European telescope.
Balance. The technique allowed the team to inquire into the balance that maintains some active sun spots for months, while others vanished in a matter of days. As explained, since the 1970s there was the hypothesis that this was possible due to the balance between the magnetic field pressure of the sunny sun and the external gas to this, a balance so far extremely difficult to explain.
The new analysis shows us how the magnetic field of sun spots is compressed by external pressure until the balance is reached. The team highlights how this finding explains the survival of these areas but could also help us in the future to detect the instabilities responsible for the CME bursts, which in turn would serve to protect us against their impacts.
The details of the study were published in an article in the magazine Astronomy & Astrophysics.
The feet on the ground. One of the advantages of the new tool is to facilitate with the study of the Sun and its spots from the surface of the Earth, without having to resort to space telescopes. This implies that we can now observe the sun not only easily, also reducing costs.
Maintaining sun surveillance is key to detecting bursts that cross the space between our star and our planet to a significant portion of the speed of light. These outbreaks can have consequences for the satellites that orbit us and communication networks, so anticipating them is of extreme importance. An importance that does not stop growing since our dependence on these networks is increasing.
In WorldOfSoftware | What are solar storms and why society has become so vulnerable to something that has happened millions of years
Imagen | NASA / Freiburg Institute of Solar Physics
