Space
The Sun’s Hidden Plasma Flow
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- Background: Scientists have discovered a hidden meridional plasma flow in the Sun’s upper chromosphere. This enhances our understanding of space weather, which impacts satellites, navigation, communication systems, and power grids.
- This study was conducted through a collaboration involving ARIES, PRL, IIT Delhi, IIST, and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
About the Sun’s hidden plasma flow:
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- It involves the slow movement of plasma from the Sun’s equator towards the poles.
- It occurs in the upper chromosphere, at an altitude of approximately 3,000 km above the Sun’s visible surface (photosphere).
- The plasma moves at a speed of 5–15 meters per second.
- It was discovered by analyzing 27 years of data from Japan’s Nobeyama Radioheliograph (NoRH) using a new image-comparison technique.
Significance:
- Provides new insights into the solar dynamo—the mechanism that generates the Sun’s magnetic field.
- Improves understanding of the 11-year solar cycle.
- Enhances the forecasting of solar storms and other space weather events.
- Offers better protection for spacecraft, satellites, communication networks, navigation systems, and electrical infrastructure against solar activity.
