{"id":293781,"date":"2026-02-20T17:25:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T17:25:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/293781\/"},"modified":"2026-02-20T17:25:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T17:25:10","slug":"researchers-track-complex-turbulence-in-the-suns-corona-revealing-the-mechanics-of-solar-wind","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/293781\/","title":{"rendered":"Researchers Track Complex Turbulence in the Sun’s Corona, Revealing the Mechanics of Solar Wind"},"content":{"rendered":"

Researchers at the University of Hawai\u02bbi have used rare total solar eclipses to gain unprecedented insights into the turbulent structures of the sun\u2019s outer atmosphere, the corona. This discovery, resulting from over a decade of observations, reveals how these turbulent features, previously hidden, can travel vast distances and play a key role in the formation of the solar wind.<\/p>\n

For the first time, the team led by Shadia Habbal at the Institute for Astronomy has identified turbulent structures within the sun\u2019s corona that can survive far from the solar surface. The Astrophysical Journal features their findings, which provide a clearer picture of how solar wind forms and evolves.<\/p>\n

A New View of the Sun\u2019s Atmosphere<\/p>\n

During a total solar eclipse<\/a>, the moon briefly obscures the Sun\u2019s bright surface, or photosphere, allowing astronomers to observe the fainter corona with remarkable detail. Unlike standard solar observations, these moments expose the corona\u2019s intricate, thread-like structures, shaped by magnetic fields emerging from below the Sun\u2019s surface. As Shadia Habbal <\/a>explained:<\/p>\n

\u201cThis work helps us understand how the Sun transfers energy into space. That process ultimately affects space weather, which can disrupt satellites, communications, and power systems on Earth.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TheThe 2019 solar eclipse showing turbulent features in the Sun\u2019s corona. Credit: The Astrophysical Journal<\/p>\n

She added that these high-resolution images of the corona <\/a>reveal a far more dynamic environment than previously understood. The complex magnetic fields and energetic activities occurring in the corona have long been a mystery, and this latest research <\/a>represents a significant step forward in unlocking their secrets.<\/p>\n

Turbulence Revealed by Eclipse Data<\/p>\n

By analyzing data collected over nearly 12 years, spanning a full solar cycle, the research team identified clear signs of turbulence within the corona. These turbulent features include vortex rings that resemble smoke rings and wave-like motions similar to those seen in Earth\u2019s clouds. <\/p>\n

\"TheThe 2012 eclipse revealing turbulent structures in the Sun\u2019s corona, including CME core and vortex rings. Credit: The Astrophysical Journal<\/p>\n

The study explained that prominences, which are large, cooler, and denser structures rising from the Sun\u2019s surface, are the source of solar turbulence. The sharp differences in temperature and density between these prominences and the surrounding plasma trigger turbulent behavior. <\/p>\n

\u201cFor the first time, we were able to watch these turbulent structures form near the Sun and then follow them as they flowed outward with the solar wind,\u201d Habbal stated. <\/p>\n

Chasing the Sun\u2019s Wild Ride of Turbulence<\/p>\n

What makes this study particularly groundbreaking is the ability to track these turbulent structures as they flow outward with the solar wind<\/a>. The team\u2019s observations show that these turbulent features remain intact even as they travel vast distances into space. <\/p>\n

\u201cSeeing the same features later in space-based images tells us they remain intact over enormous distances,\u201d he concluded. <\/p>\n

By following the path of these turbulent features from their origin near the Sun\u2019s surface to their eventual movement outward, the research sheds light on the mechanisms driving the solar wind and coronal heating.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Researchers at the University of Hawai\u02bbi have used rare total solar eclipses to gain unprecedented insights into the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":293782,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[111,139,69,147,392],"class_list":["post-293781","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-space","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-science","tag-space"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/293781","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=293781"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/293781\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/293782"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=293781"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=293781"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=293781"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}