CORONAL LOOPS

At first glance, it looks like an abstract painting At first glance, it looks like an abstract painting. However, in fact this image reveal astonishing power and complexity of the raging battles on the solar surface. It shows vast coronal loops of material attempting break free, as well as the magnetic battles on the surface that cause them to twist in bizarre shapes.

CORONAL LOOPS CORONAL LOOPS ARE BRIGHT, CURVING STRUCTURES THAT APPEAR AS ARCS ABOVE THE SUN'S SURFACE. HOT PLASMA CAUSES THESE LOOPS TO GLOW. THE ELECTRIFIED PLASMA FLOWS ALONG THE CURVING LINES OF POWERFUL MAGNETIC FIELDS, GIVING THE CORONAL LOOPS THEIR CHARACTERISTIC SHAPES.

CORONAL LOOPS CORONAL LOOPS FORM THE BASIC STRUCTURE OF THE LOWER CORONA AND TRANSITION REGION OF THE SUN. THESE HIGHLY STRUCTURED LOOPS ARE A DIRECT CONSEQUENCE OF THE TWISTED SOLAR MAGNETIC FLUX WITHIN THE SOLAR BODY. THE POPULATION OF CORONAL LOOPS CAN BE DIRECTLY LINKED WITH THE SOLAR CYCLE; IT IS FOR THIS REASON CORONAL LOOPS ARE OFTEN FOUND WITH SUNSPOTS AT THEIR FOOTPOINTS.

CORONAL LOOPS RESEARCHERS HAD SUSPECTED THAT CORONAL LOOPS WERE ESSENTIALLY STATIC, PLASMA-FILLED STRUCTURES. HOWEVER, MOVIES MADE FROM OBSERVATIONS BY THE TRACE (TRANSITION REGION AND CORONAL EXPLORER) SPACECRAFT HAVE SHOWN BRIGHT BLOBS OF PLASMA RACING UP AND DOWN THE CORONAL LOOPS. SOHO DATA CONFIRMED THAT THESE PLASMA BLOBS WERE MOVING AT TREMENDOUS SPEEDS, LEADING TO THE NEW VIEW THAT CORONAL LOOPS ARE HYPER VELOCITY CURRENTS OF PLASMA BLASTED FROM THE SOLAR SURFACE AND SQUIRTED BETWEEN THE MAGNETIC STRUCTURES IN THE CORONA.

PHYSICAL FEATURES A CORONAL LOOP IS MAGNETIC FLUX FIXED AT BOTH ENDS, THREADING THROUGH THE SOLAR BODY, PROTRUDING INTO THE SOLAR ATMOSPHERE. THEY ARE IDEAL STRUCTURES TO OBSERVE WHEN TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE TRANSFER OF ENERGY FROM THE SOLAR BODY, THROUGH THE TRANSITION REGION AND INTO THE CORONA.

PHYSICAL FEATURES CORONAL LOOPS HAVE A WIDE VARIETY OF TEMPERATURES ALONG THEIR LENGTHS. LOOPS EXISTING AT TEMPERATURES BELOW 1 MK ARE GENERALLY KNOWN AS COOL LOOPS, THOSE EXISTING AT AROUND 1 MK ARE KNOWN AS WARM LOOPS, AND THOSE BEYOND 1 MK ARE KNOWN AS HOT LOOPS. NATURALLY, THESE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES RADIATE AT DIFFERENT WAVELENGTHS.

LOCATION CORONAL LOOPS POPULATE BOTH ACTIVE AND QUIET REGIONS OF THE SOLAR SURFACE. ACTIVE REGIONS ON THE SOLAR SURFACE TAKE UP SMALL AREAS BUT PRODUCE THE MAJORITY OF ACTIVITY AND ARE OFTEN THE SOURCE OF FLARES AND CORONAL MASS EJECTIONS DUE TO THE INTENSE MAGNETIC FIELD PRESENT. ACTIVE REGIONS PRODUCE 82% OF THE TOTAL CORONAL HEATING ENERGY.

MAGNETIC LOOP WHEN SOME OF THE SUN'S MAGNETIC FIELD LINES ARE FILLED WITH HOT GAS, WE SEE A MAGNETIC LOOP.

MAGNETIC LOOPS IN THE SUN'S CORONA ANOTHER IMPORTANT PROPERTY OF MAGNETIC FIELDS IS THAT THEY TRAP AND CONTAIN HOT GASES. THEY ARE, IN EFFECT, "MAGNETIC BOTTLES". ON EARTH, LABORATORY EXPERIMENTS TO PRODUCE ENERGY FROM CONTROLLED FUSION DEPEND ON THIS PROPERTY OF MAGNETIC FIELDS TO CONTAIN THE SUPER-HOT GASES. MAGNETIC FIELDS CAN BE THOUGHT OF AS LINES THAT CONNECT NORTH AND SOUTH POLARITIES. ON THE EARTH THESE LINES RUN FROM NORTH TO SOUTH AND ARE UNIFORM AND ORGANIZED. THIS IS WHY WE CAN NAVIGATE SO WELL WITH A MAGNETIC COMPASS.

MAGNETIC LOOPS IN THE SUN'S CORONA ON THE SUN, THE MAGNETIC FIELDS CONNECT OPPOSITE POLARITIES JUST AS ON THE EARTH. ON THE SUN WE OBSERVE BITS OF NORTH AND SOUTH POLARITY SCATTERED ALL OVER THE SURFACE. FURTHERMORE, THEIR POSITION AND STRENGTHS ARE CONSTANTLY CHANGING. THE MAGNETIC FIELDS CONNECTING THESE POLES LOOP OUT INTO THE CORONA IN A BEWILDERING ARRAY OF SHAPES AND SIZES.

EFFECTS ON EARTH X-RAYS AND ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION FROM THE SOLAR CORONA AFFECT EARTH AND ITS ATMOSPHERE. AS EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE GETS HOTTER, IT EXPANDS AND BECOMES DENSER AT HIGH ALTITUDES. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, SATELLITES EXPERIENCE MORE DRAG, WHICH CHANGES THEIR ORBITS. ACCURATELY PREDICTING THIS “SPACE WEATHER” GIVES SATELLITE OPERATORS MORE TIME TO RESPOND TO OR AVERT PROBLEMS THAT COULD POTENTIALLY CAUSE INTERRUPTIONS AND OUTAGES.

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