Magnetic Trees help researchers unearth hidden flow in the Sun’s upper atmosphere
Indian astronomers mapped poleward plasma flow nearly 3,000 kilometres above the Sun’s visible surface using 27 years of radio observations from the Nobeyama Radioheliograph.
- The research team analysed 27 years of radio observations from the Nobeyama Radioheliograph and detected poleward plasma flow in the Sun’s upper chromosphere.
- Solar plasma flow and magnetic-field transport influence solar storms that can affect satellites, communication systems, navigation networks, and power grids on Earth.
What happened
Researchers led by the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology, have found evidence that the Sun’s slow poleward plasma flow continues much higher into the solar atmosphere than earlier confirmed. The finding matters because the flow is linked to the Sun’s magnetic field, the 11-year solar cycle, and the space weather that can affect satellites, communication systems, navigation networks, and power grids on Earth.
Background and earlier position
UPSC may ask about the meridional flow, the solar cycle, the upper chromosphere, and how radio astronomy helps study the Sun’s magnetic field and space-weather hazards.
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