Small-Scale Solar Explosion Reveals Big Clues About Magnetic Reconnection

Small-scale solar explosion reveals big clues about magnetic reconnection

Using the world's largest solar telescope, a team of scientists has captured one of the most detailed views ever of a microflare—a small yet powerful solar explosion. The images are helping scientists understand the complexity of magnetic fields powering the sun's smallest outbursts.

Microflares open window to understanding the Sun’s magnetic reconnection

What can small-scale solar flares tell scientists about magnetic reconnection in the lower solar atmosphere?Scientists used the world's largest telescope to observe a microflare, a small but powerful solar explosion. Image: Adobe.A small yet powerful solar explosion captured by the world’s largest telescope has offered up huge clues about magnetic reconnection, an explosive process that unleashes bursts of energy, heat and plasma on a small-scal…

Small-Scale Solar Explosion Reveals Big Clues About Magnetic Reconnection - NSO - National Solar Observatory

Using the world’s most powerful solar telescope, scientists have captured an unprecedented detailed view of a small yet powerful explosive event on the Sun—a microflare. The study exposes the complex magnetic configuration of these events and associated intense bursts of energy, heat, and plasma. The findings, made only possible by the unparalleled capabilities of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, built…