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A new study sheds light on why the Sun’s outer atmosphere, or corona, is more than 20 times hotter than its surface. The NCAR-led research on the role of oscillations in the corona may bring scientists a step closer to understanding the solar cycle and the Sun’s impacts on Earth. The study uses satellite observations to reveal that magnetic oscillations carrying energy from the Sun’s surface into its corona are far more vigorous than previously thought. The oscillations, called Alfvén waves, are energetic enough to heat the corona and drive the solar wind, a stream of charged particles ejected from the Sun that affects the entire solar system.
For more information, please contact Zhenya Gallon, 303-497-8607.
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The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research manages the National Center for Atmospheric Research under sponsorship by the National Science Foundation. Any opinions, findings and conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.