Researchers unveil mystery related to solar corona magnetic field

Image courtesy: Phys.org

In a new study, a graduate student Benjamin Boe from University of Hawaiʻi Institute for Astronomy used total solar eclipse observations to measure the shape of the coronal magnetic field with higher spatial resolution. The study was done in over a larger area than ever before unveiling the mysteries related to the sun's corona magnetic field.

Sun’s corona is the outermost part of the Sun’s atmosphere, which is hidden by the bright light of the Sun's surface and can be seen only with special instruments or during a total solar eclipse.

For the very first time Boe used eclipse images been to quantify sun's corona magnetic field structure. Boe said, ''I knew it would be possible to extract a lot more information by applying modern image processing techniques to solar eclipse data,'' as per phys.org.

The image of the magnetic field was obtained by using an automatic tracing method applied to images of the corona taken during 14 eclipses across the past two decades. This data provided the chance to study the changes in the corona over two 11-year magnetic cycles of the sun.

In his observation the IFA astronomer found that the pattern of the coronal magnetic field lines is highly structured, with structures seen at size scales down to the resolution limit of the cameras used for the observations. He also saw the pattern changing with time. 

Boe measured the magnetic field angle relative to the sun's surface to quantify these changes, reported phys.org.

According to Boe, the new study also reveals that the leading ideas for how to model the formation of the solar wind are not complete, and so our ability to predict and defend against space weather can be improved.

The astronomer's team is already planning their next eclipse expeditions, with the next one slated for South America in December of this year.

The results of sun's corona magnetic field are published in the June 3 issue of The Astrophysical Journal and are also available in preprint form on ArXiv.