The Sun Has Thin Threads of Million-Degree Plasma, According to New Images

Thanks to the highest-resolution photos ever taken of the sun, researchers have spotted previously invisible filaments of scorching-hot plasma threaded through the sun's atmosphere.

By Alison Klesman
Apr 16, 2020 3:50 PMApr 17, 2020 7:48 PM
Sun Filaments - University of Central Lancashire
New images show delicate magnetic field lines, haloed by scalding plasma, sprouting from seemingly featureless regions of the Sun. (Credit: University of Central Lancashire)

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The sun’s magnetic field constantly blasts particles from its surface into space. On Earth, we experience this steady stream of charged particles as the regular solar wind, which fuels aurorae. But our planet also must deal with the occasional fallout from strong outbursts during particularly powerful solar storms. However, for all of the downstream effects Earth experiences thanks to the sun’s magnetic field, the true nature of this enigmatic field remains one of sun’s most elusive mysteries.

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