The Sun’s magnetic field is generated only about 30,000 kilometers below its surface, a discovery that could help us better understand The dynamic processes of the star. Is More accurately predicts powerful solar storms.
A study, published by Nature, led by the University of Edinburgh (United Kingdom) and with the participation, among others, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA), carried out models with a series of complex calculations on a supercomputer from NASA.
The discovery that locates the origin of magnetic field about 30 thousand kilometers below the surfacecontradicts previous theories that suggest that the phenomenon has deep origins, starting more than 200 thousand kilometers away, the Efe news agency reported this Wednesday.
This start so close to the surface of the terrestrial star pcan be the origin of sunspots and flareswhich are generated internally through a process known as the dynamo process.
although strong solar stormslike those recorded this month, they can leave impressive polar auroras, too cause damage to satellites, electrical networks, Communications by radio or GPS systems..
The team generated an accurate model of the Sun’s surface and found that when they simulated certain perturbations or changes in the flow of plasma (ionized gas) within the top 5 to 10 percent of the Sun, these surface changes were enough to generate patterns. realistic fields. magnetic.
However, simulations that took into account the star’s deeper layers resulted in less realistic solar activity.
Over the years, astronomers have made great strides in understanding the origins of the solar dynamo (the physical process that generates the magnetic field). but limitations remain.
In this study, the team developed new, state-of-the-art numerical simulations to model the solar magnetic field that takes into account torsional oscillations, a cyclic pattern of gas and plasma flow in and around the Sun.
The model also explains how Sunspots follow the magnetic activity patterns of the Sun, Another detail missing from the deep origin theory.
With a greater understanding of the solar dynamo, Researchers hope to improve storm forecasts. solar radiation, which can also be helped by the magnetic field generated in the outer layers of the Sun.
“We know that the dynamo works like a giant clock with many complex interacting parts“But some are still unknown and others don’t know how they fit,” said the study’s lead author, Geoffrey Vasil, from the University of Edinburgh.
This new idea is essential to understand and predict it, he guaranteed.
Source: Observadora
