Parker Probe s path through solar blast yields unparalleled space weather insights phys.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from phys.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The probe has provided solar physicists a unique view of the stellar events and an opportunity to expand studies to understand the evolution of the solar system.
E-Mail
IMAGE: University of Iowa physicists have gained new insights about the sun s electric field. The researchers measured electrons streaming from the sun, a main constituent of the solar wind, to determine. view more
Credit: Jasper Halekas lab, University of Iowa
As the Parker Solar Probe ventures closer to the sun, we are learning new things about our home star.
In a new study, physicists led by the University of Iowa report the first definitive measurements of the sun s electric field, and how the electric field interacts with the solar wind, the fast-flowing current of charged particles that can affect activities on Earth, from satellites to telecommunications.
Solar winds are a hot topic in the HPC world right now, with supercomputer-powered research spanning from the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (which
E-Mail
IMAGE: (Top panel, from left to right) July 12, 2012 coronal mass ejection seen in STEREO B Cor2, SOHO C2, and STEREO A Cor2 coronagraphs, respectively. (Bottom panel) The same images. view more
Credit: Talwinder Singh, Mehmet S. Yalim, Nikolai V. Pogorelov, and Nat Gopalswamy
The surface of the sun churns with energy and frequently ejects masses of highly-magnetized plasma towards Earth. Sometimes these ejections are strong enough to crash through the magnetosphere the natural magnetic shield that protects the Earth damaging satellites or electrical grids. Such space weather events can be catastrophic.
Astronomers have studied the sun s activity for centuries with greater and greater understanding. Today, computers are central to the quest to understand the sun s behavior and its role in space weather events.