Scientists have captured the sun’s corona in unprecedented clarity using a new adaptive optics system called Cona. The system, installed at the 1.6-meter Goode Solar Telescope, has revealed never-before-seen plasma streams and bizarre “raindrops” of plasma extending out from the solar surface.
The corona, the sun’s outer atmosphere, has long been a mystery due to its extreme temperatures and violent eruptions. Visible only during total solar eclipses, it is usually blurred by Earth’s turbulent air. However, the new Cona system has allowed scientists to study the corona like never before, revealing features such as coronal rain, which forms when hotter plasma cools and condenses.
The sharpest-ever view of coronal rain shows delicate threads of cooling plasma that are narrower than 12 miles. The plasma is electrically charged and follows the sun’s magnetic field lines, arching and looping as it cascades back to the solar surface. Additionally, scientists have observed a never-before-seen feature – a rapidly forming and collapsing plasma stream referred to as a “plasmoid” that moves at nearly 62 miles per second.
These new observations offer a unique opportunity to study the corona and provide insights into why it blazes millions of degrees hotter than the solar surface. The improved views also aid in understanding filament eruptions and coronal mass ejections, which fuel space weather and disrupt technology. With this technology, scientists hope to bring closer looks at the sun’s outer layers with even larger telescopes, promising more discoveries in the years to come.
Source: https://www.space.com/astronomy/sun/scientists-capture-never-before-seen-plasma-streams-and-bizarre-raindrops-in-sharpest-ever-view-of-suns-outer-atmosphere-video