Solar raindrops—plasma streams and vast arches extending outward from the sun's surface and into the corona—have been captured in spectacular new detail by a ground-based telescope in California. These remarkable images showcase a variety of solar phenomena, including coronal rain, which occurs when cooling plasma condenses and falls back toward the sun's surface along magnetic field lines.
Among the stunning images taken from time-lapse movies, utilizing cutting-edge technology to eliminate blurring caused by Earth's atmosphere, researchers have documented other fascinating features. These include solar prominences, the term used by solar physicists to describe the large arches and loops of plasma, as well as finely structured plasma streams. The images have been artificially colorized from the hydrogen-alpha light captured by the telescope, giving them a striking pink appearance.
The groundbreaking images were produced by researchers from the U.S. National Science Foundation's National Solar Observatory and the New Jersey Institute of Technology. They were published this week in a paper in the prestigious journal Nature. According to Vasyl Yurchyshyn, co-author of the study and a research professor at NJIT, these observations are the most detailed of their kind, revealing features that have not been seen before.
The new images were captured using the 1.6-meter Goode Solar Telescope at the Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) in California. This advanced telescope is equipped with a novel technology called Cona, which employs a laser to correct for turbulence in Earth's upper atmosphere. Nicolas Gorceix, chief observer at BBSO, described Cona as a "pumped-up autofocus for the sky." It utilizes adaptive optics to measure and adapt in real-time to atmospheric distortions, reshaping a special mirror 2,200 times per second.
Turbulence in Earth's upper atmosphere has historically limited solar observations. However, the implementation of Cona has dramatically increased the resolution of what can be studied, reducing the observable features from over 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) wide to just 63 kilometers (39 miles). This advancement opens new avenues for understanding solar phenomena.
The sun's corona, meaning "crown," remains one of the most enigmatic regions in our solar system. This outer layer of the sun's atmosphere is obscured by the brighter photosphere—the sun's visible surface—and can only be seen briefly during a total solar eclipse. Prominences, often visible during totality as reddish-pink arches and loops, are similarly difficult to observe.
Despite its tenuous nature, the corona is millions of degrees hotter than the photosphere. It is of critical interest to solar scientists because it is within the corona that the solar wind originates. This continuous stream of charged particles radiates throughout the solar system, interacting with planetary atmospheres, including Earth’s, to produce geomagnetic storms and stunning auroras.
In summary, the latest advancements in solar observation technology, combined with detailed imaging of solar phenomena, provide an unprecedented glimpse into the complex dynamics of our sun. As researchers continue to explore the mysteries of the solar corona and its effects on the solar system, the implications for our understanding of solar activity and its impact on Earth are profound.
