Inouye Solar Telescope Coronal Magnetic Field Map (VIDEO)

Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA)

Caption

The NSF Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope extends our abilities to understand the physics of the solar corona. This animation first shows the evolving solar surface, as routinely imaged by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory. Here, the temperatures are about 6000 degrees Celsius. A map of the surface magnetic fields follows, where one can notice concentrated regions of magnetism (black and white regions). That magnetic field extends in three dimensions upwards where the solar corona forms, creating bright hot gas at millions of degrees. The Inouye is now able to map the magnetic fields in the coronal itself, which provides critical insight into how the corona heating and the entrapment and release of magnetic energy occurs.

Credit

NSF/NSO/AURA

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Credit must be given to the creator.

License

CC BY

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