The solar winds from the nearest star, which generate the aurora borealis
and can have an impact on the planet's communications systems, have been
better understood thanks to a NASA mission to touch the sun. The Parker
Solar Probe has collected data on the solar wind that emanates from the
sun's coronal holes and travels toward Earth, providing answers to issues
that astronomers have pondered for more than 60 years.
Researchers from Berkeley claim that the data collected from the probe's
passage through the sun's upper atmosphere in 2021 will aid in the
prediction of so-called "solar storms," which produce "beautiful auroras on
Earth" but also "wreak havoc with satellites and the electrical grid."
Solar winds normally miss Earth when coronal holes in the sun occur near
the poles. However, these holes form on the surface of the sun every 11
years and shoot solar wind blasts toward Earth.
To examine these winds, the probe came within 13 million kilometers of the
sun. According to a UC Berkeley press release, "it's like seeing jets of
water emanating from a showerhead through the blast of water hitting you in
the face."
According to James Drake of the University of Maryland-College Park and
Stuart D. Bale of the University of California, Berkeley, the probe picked
up streams of high-energy particles. These are consistent with the enormous
convection cells, or supergranulations, found inside coronal holes,
indicating that coronal holes are where the "fast" solar winds
originate.
The wind originates from a process known as magnetic reconnection, and by
the time it travels the 93 million miles to Earth, "it has evolved into a
homogeneous, turbulent flow of roiling magnetic fields intertwined with
charged particles that interact with Earth's own magnetic field and dump
electrical energy into the upper atmosphere."
At the Earth's poles, this results in vivid auroras that may be seen, but
it also has negative effects on Earth.
According to the University of Chicago, solar winds have certain
advantages, such as shielding Earth from errant cosmic rays. However,
systems like GPS, banking, and aircraft radio communications might all be
affected by severe solar winds.
The Carrington Event, a powerful solar explosion that occurred in 1859,
destroyed the telegraph and electrical infrastructure. According to the
university, the incident caused the aurora borealis to continue shining
brightly until the early morning hours.
In order to address problems that have baffled scientists for more than 60
years, such as "Why is the corona much hotter than the Sun's surface (the
photosphere)?," the probe was launched in 2018. What causes the solar wind
to quicken? According to NASA, "what are the origins of high-energy solar
particles.
According to NASA, the Parker Solar Probe is shielded by a 4.5-inch-thick
carbon composite that can endure temperatures of around 2,500 degrees
Fahrenheit. However, it won't be able to approach the sun's surface any
closer than 4 million miles without burning up. Bale claims that they will
strengthen their conclusions using data collected at that distance.
