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While some scientists are looking for unique worlds from distant stars or trying to catch invisible dark matter, team astrophysicists led by Jonathan Cirtain from the US Space Center Marshall is attempting unravel the secrets of our own planetary system. So, scientists have long struggled with the question of why temperature of the upper solar atmosphere known as crown, reaches 4 million degrees Celsius, while the surface of the star is only heated to 6000 degrees.
Most experts believe that the reason may lie in the interaction between the lines of force of the magnetic field of the sun. At the flow of hot gas rush to crown, and the resulting frictional force heats them to incredible temperatures. But over many years of observation, no one in the world has found evidence supporting the theory.
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Now, with the unique Hi-C telescope, researchers got the opportunity to look at the images of the solar corona in incredible resolution that is five times superior to all that were before.
A sophisticated optical device weighing 210 kilograms and a length of about two meters with the help of a rocket was launched into space space. The flight lasted only 10 minutes, but it was enough to take 165 pictures of a small active area Suns with detail of 150 kilometers. It’s the same as make out a small coin from a distance of six kilometers.
The Hi-C mirror has a diameter of only 24 centimeters. It is comparable with the tool of the space observatory of solar dynamics SDO, which also monitors the activity of the luminary. But many innovative solutions allowed the new telescope to look into deep layers of the solar corona, available only in extreme ultraviolet range.
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As reported in the journal Nature, in the images received scientists saw two sections where as a result of the interaction of lines energy field in a large amount of iron is formed, out of 26 electrons, only 15 remain.
The glow of the huge masses of this element is noticeable through special filters. Multiple bends of the magnetic field lines indicate that in these places enough energy can be released to heating the atmosphere to several million degrees.
But if the calculation results have yet to be verified during additional measurements, the effectiveness of a new research method space is not in doubt. Having completed his mission, the telescope smoothly parachuted in the desert and can be used in others research.
Although the work on the device lasted more than one year, it short-term launch cost much less than delivery and installation of similar equipment onboard the ISS or construction specialized observatory on earth.
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“New results of the study of the activity of the solar corona They look very promising, ”Sørten says. – But the most important in this work is that we can receive images of the sun in such high resolution. This will surely help make some major discoveries in the field of life and development of stars. ”
Scientists hope that in the future such equipment will be installed on orbital vehicles for regular observations.
Time Sun Telescope
