Thanks to the European Space Agency’s Solar Orbiter probe, it has finally been Origin of slow solar wind identified, that is, one that travels below 500 kilometers per second. According to a study published in the journal Nature Astronomy, the culprits behind this phenomenon are the regions of the solar corona, the outermost part of the Sun’s atmosphere, where the magnetic field lines temporarily break and then rejoin, allowing solar material to escape.
The solar wind is a stream of charged particles, such as protons and electrons, emitted from the Sun’s corona and generated by its continuous expansion in the space interplanetaryIt can travel at different speeds: above 500 kilometers per second it is called ‘fast’, while the ‘slow’ one is characterized by lower speeds. Despite decades of observations, the sources and mechanisms that release, accelerate and transport the solar wind were not well understood. This is one of the main objectives of the Solar Orbiterlaunched in 2020.
Slow solar wind: the discovery of the Solar Orbiter
By combining image data with data from onboard instruments, researchers led by Stephanie Yardley have shown that the slow solar wind originates from the so-called ‘closed corona’. These are regions where magnetic field lines do not extend into space, creating ‘highways’ for solar material to escape, but are connected to the Sun’s surface at both ends. This result confirms that Solar Orbiter is able to establish strong connections between the solar wind and its source regions.paving the way for studying the origin of the solar wind in unprecedented detail.
This discovery represents an important step forward in our understanding of the solar wind and the dynamics of the Sun. Knowing the origin of the slow solar wind can help better predict solar storms and their effects on Earth, such as the Northern Lights and possible damage to satellites and power grids. The Solar Orbiter mission will continue to provide valuable data to further investigate these dynamics.
What do you think of this discovery? Could it change the way we study the Sun and its influences on our planet?
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