Newly published research from Northwestern’s McCormick School of Engineering has revealed that the sun’s magnetic field starts around 20,000 miles below its surface, contrary to previous beliefs that it originated 130,000 miles below. This finding could help predict powerful solar storms in the future, as solar flares can cause damage to Earth’s satellites, electricity grids, and radio communications.
The study, published in the journal Nature, aimed to understand the origin of the sun’s magnetic field, an age-old question that has been unanswered since Galileo Galilei’s time. By running complex calculations on a NASA supercomputer, researchers were able to develop a new model that considers torsional oscillations in the sun, a phenomenon related to magnetic activity.
Solar flares, explosions of radiation from the sun’s surface, can lead to solar storms that cause phenomena like the aurora borealis and disrupt GPS systems and communication networks. During such storms, like the recent one that affected North America, farmers’ equipment and navigation tools experienced glitches, highlighting the importance of predicting solar activity.
As the sun is currently at its solar maximum, with increased solar activity, researchers hope that their new findings will lead to better predictions of solar flares and help mitigate the potential damage they can cause. This research provides valuable insights into understanding the sun’s dynamo and its impact on Earth’s technology and communication systems.
Photo credit
www.usatoday.com
