Coronal heating & solar wind, returns from solar missions shed light on Sun’s mysteries
January 21, 2021
It’s one of the greatest mysteries in solar physics. Dubbed the coronal heating problem, the issue arises from the fact that the solar corona, or Sun’s atmosphere, is millions of degrees hotter than the layers directly below it.
This goes against modeling that suggests the corona should be far cooler than the layers below it.
Numerous theories have been proposed to explain the problem, but a persistent issue in exploring this solar dynamic has been a lack of technological ability to directly observe the underlying processes that could account for the heat.
| UPDATED: 15:17, Thu, Jan 21, 2021
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A stream of solar particles heading from the Sun to Earth could lead to technological problems. Solar storms can be detrimental to satellite-based technology as they can heat the Earth’s outer atmosphere, causing it to expand and making it more difficult for satellite signals to reach the ground.