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Thursday, October 28, 2010

Photo: "Corkscrew" Waves Seen on Sun -- Keys to Solar Mystery?


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A picture taken by the Swedish Solar Telescope shows bright spots near the center that reveal the presence of Alfvén waves, researchers said in March 2009.

These "corkscrew" waves appear to be pushing heat from the sun's surface to its outer atmosphere, which could help explain how the sun is able to heat its atmosphere to millions of degrees hotter than its surface.

Image courtesy Dr. David Jess, Queen's University Belfast