NASA's Parker Solar Probe disproves S-shaped bends in the sun's magnetic field as a cause of corona's extreme temperatures.
NASA's Parker Solar Probe ruled out S-shaped bends in the sun's magnetic field as a cause of the corona's extreme temperatures, according to research published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. The probe, which has been diving into the corona, detected hundreds of S-shaped bends, or switchbacks, in the sun's magnetic field, but these were absent inside the corona. The study's results rule out the idea that switchbacks are formed by colliding magnetic fields at the Sun's surface, though they could still play an indirect role in the corona's heating.
July 30, 2024
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