Parker Solar Probe Uncovers Mysteries of Solar Wind, Linked to Geomagnetic Storms on Earth

According to a report from SciTech Daily, scientists have made a significant breakthrough in understanding the solar wind, uncovering its ability to reach astonishing speeds surpassing 1 million miles per hour. The findings, which have been published in the journal Nature, are based on data gathered by NASA’s Parker Solar Probe. The researchers have determined that the solar wind’s acceleration to these remarkable velocities is driven by the magnetic field’s energy in close proximity to the sun’s surface.

Research led by James Drake of the University of Maryland and Stuart Bale of UC Berkeley sheds light on the long-standing mystery of what causes the solar wind. Understanding the effects of the Earth is crucial. The solar wind creates a massive magnetic bubble called the heliosphere, which shields the planets of our solar system from cosmic rays. However, it also carries plasma and some of the Sun’s magnetic field, which can interact with Earth’s magnetosphere and cause disturbances, including dangerous geomagnetic storms.

Geomagnetic storms occur during times of increased solar activity, such as during solar flares and coronal mass ejections. While these storms lead to the spectacular Auroras Borealis in the north and Aurora Australis in the south, they can also have serious consequences such as power grid outages and disruptions in global communications. In extreme cases, they pose risks to astronauts in space.

Previous studies indicated that the sun’s magnetic field played a role in driving the solar wind, but the process was unknown. Earlier this year, Drake co-authored a paper suggesting that magnetic reconnection is responsible for heating and accelerating the solar wind.

The researchers found that the sun’s surface is covered in tiny “jets” of hot plasma that are pushed upward by magnetic reconnection. By analyzing plasma data from the Parker Solar Probe, researchers gained new insights into the discharges of magnetic energy in coronal holes. These are gaps in the sun’s magnetic field and the sources of the solar wind.

The team showed that the exchange connection between open and closed magnetic fields, a type of magnetic reconnection, is a continuous process rather than isolated events. They concluded that the rate of release of magnetic energy, which drives the outflow of heated plasma, overcomes gravity and produces the high-speed solar wind.

By studying these repeated releases of energy on the sun’s surface, scientists aim to understand and possibly predict larger and more dangerous eruptions that eject plasma into space.