A University of Washington study proposes a model of plasma motion that explains the 11-year sunspot cycle and other solar phenomena. The model suggests that a thin layer beneath the sun's surface is key to understanding solar magnetic phenomena, including sunspots, magnetic reversals, and solar flow.
Physicists at Sandia National Laboratories' Z machine found that an astronomical model underestimates the energy blockage caused by free-floating iron atoms. The experimental opacity measurements can help resolve a major discrepancy in how the Standard Solar Model uses the sun's composition to predict star behavior.
Scientists at University of Wisconsin-Madison successfully recreated the sun's solar wind and 'plasma burps' in a laboratory setting, confirming their development and providing an Earth-bound model for future study. The experiment used a three-meter-wide hollow sphere to mimic the sun's plasma and electromagnetic fields.
A study published in Journal of Drugs in Dermatology highlights the need for tailored skin cancer prevention programs to reach non-white and younger populations. The research found significant gaps in sun protective knowledge and behavior among these groups, emphasizing the importance of comprehensive community-based solutions.
Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology have developed a window film that captures solar energy during the day and releases it as heat at night, helping to regulate indoor temperatures. The film uses a specially designed molecule that changes color when it absorbs sunlight, allowing it to capture energy.
Researchers discovered that dung beetles use a wind compass to navigate when the sun is high, complementing their sun compass. This flexible navigation system enables precise direction-finding at all times.
Researchers have discovered that dung beetles use a wind compass and sun compass to navigate, switching between the two depending on the condition. The insects' brains adapt dynamically to the environment, allowing them to make informed decisions.
Research suggests that South African dung beetles utilize a multisensory compass, combining wind direction with solar elevation to maintain spatial orientation. The study found that the beetles' ability to orient themselves improves when incorporating wind cues into their navigation strategy.
A team of researchers has discovered a massive star that formed a planetary nebula, pushing the limits of theoretical predictions. The star, PNe BMP1613-5406, is one of the most massive stars ever found to have formed a PN, providing valuable insights into stellar evolution and chemical composition.
Researchers found that the early Sun's rotation rate and solar activity influenced the formation of the Moon, affecting sodium and potassium levels. The study suggests that space weather played a crucial role in shaping the solar system's evolution.
Researchers discovered hints of the sun's internal clock behaving erratically, switching between normal and alternate states. The team found intriguing discrepancies in the sun's magnetic fields that could provide clues to its internal behavior.
Researchers found that sun-exposed oyster mushrooms can increase vitamin D levels and improve immunological responses in TB patients. The study used bread containing the mushrooms, which showed significant improvements in patients' TB severity scores and reduced vitamin D deficiency.
Scientists developed a new 3D method to reconstruct Sun's shock waves, aiding in predicting extreme space weather. The approach combines stereo vision and noise filtering techniques to estimate wave front height and propagation rate.
Researchers believe a zone of preferential heating surrounds the sun's surface, with temperatures rising and individual elements heated to different levels. The Parker Solar Probe will test this theory by entering the zone in 2021, providing direct measurements of processes behind solar wind acceleration.
A new study from the Australian National University found that spending half an hour a day outside in the sun can lower the risk of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) by almost 20%, including Crohn's Disease and ulcerative colitis. Short periods of sun exposure also showed significant benefits.
Researchers from Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf found that Venus, Earth, and Jupiter's tidal forces impact the Sun's magnetic field, causing it to follow a regular cycle. This discovery explains the Sun's 11-year activity cycle and has implications for climate predictions and space weather.
Researchers from Ireland and France used large radio telescopes and ultraviolet cameras to study the Sun's plasma, revealing its unstable nature and potential for harnessing clean energy. The discovery could pave the way for developing safe and efficient nuclear fusion reactors.
RIT Professor Grover Swartzlander is receiving a Phase II award from NASA's NIAC program to explore the feasibility of diffractive solar sails. Diffractive solar sails could be more efficient and withstand the heat of the sun better than traditional reflective sails.
A team of researchers has discovered a stellar flare ten times more powerful than anything seen on our sun, erupting from an ultracool star almost the same size as Jupiter. The star, ULAS J224940.13-011236.9, is only a tenth of the radius of our own sun and is considered a brown dwarf by some definitions.
Researchers found evidence of coronal rain in smaller, previously overlooked magnetic loops on the Sun. The discovery links two solar mysteries: the anomalous heating of the corona and the source of the slow solar wind.
Researchers discovered massive blobs of solar wind in archival data from NASA's Helios spacecraft, which could shed light on the solar wind's beginnings. The study used advanced modeling and analysis to connect the blob patterns to specific regions on the Sun.
In a breakthrough study, scientists have observed ions moving faster than atoms in the gas streams of solar prominences, challenging our understanding of plasma behavior. This phenomenon occurs when ions and neutral atoms flow independently in partially ionized plasmas without impact equilibrium.
Researchers used computer simulations to discover Jupiter was formed four times further from the sun than its current position and migrated over 700,000 years. The Trojan asteroids' asymmetry provided key evidence for this migration theory.
Researchers found that sun bears can exactly mimic another bear's facial expressions, similar to humans and apes. This complex social skill suggests that other mammals may also possess advanced communication abilities.
A new study finds that K stars, which are dimmer than the Sun but brighter than faintest stars, may be particularly promising targets for searching for signs of life. K stars live a long time and have less extreme activity in their youth, giving them plenty of time for life to evolve.
The Moon appeared to move in two opposite directions during a lunar transit, due to the SDO's faster orbital speed. The spacecraft caught this phenomenon, resulting in a 'freeze-frame' effect as the Moon remained in view.
Astronomers have discovered an intermediate-mass black hole, 30,000 times the mass of the Sun, hidden within a gas cloud near the Galactic center. The finding provides new insight into black hole growth and evolution, suggesting that small black holes can merge to form larger ones.
Researchers have developed a molecule that could enhance sun cream's protective effect against UVA rays, potentially benefiting patients with Friedreich's Ataxia and other mitochondrial disorders. The study found that skin cells from FA patients are up to 10 times more sensitive to UVA damage.
Steve WaiChing Sun, a civil engineering professor at Columbia University, has won a National Science Foundation CAREER award to develop an augmented intelligence approach for predicting material failures. His tool uses deep reinforcement learning to generate accurate predictions and improve complex analyses and designs for infrastructure.
A team at Northumbria University discovered a distinctive marker on magnetic waves in the Sun's corona, indicating that sound waves from inside the Sun excite these waves. This finding suggests a new fundamental constant of the Sun and has significant implications for our understanding of stellar atmospheres.
Scientists at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory found that plasmoids can alter turbulent energy spectrum in conducting fluids, creating localized intense electric current sheets. This process influences how heat flows through the sun and other astrophysical objects.
Researchers developed a new technique to visualize historic solar data, providing context for understanding the Sun's past and future. The study suggests that changes in solar activity may impact Earth's surface, with possible connections to climate change.
Researchers have found an extremely hot magnetosphere around a white dwarf, a remnant of a star like our Sun. This discovery sheds light on the origin of highly ionised metals in some white dwarfs, which were previously a puzzle. The study reveals that the magnetic field traps material flowing from the surface, heating it up dramatically.
The Borexino experiment has provided insights into how the Sun generates energy by analyzing its solar neutrino spectrum. The study revealed details about the Sun's core and fusion processes, confirming current understanding of these phenomena.
Researchers identified a 48-hour cycle regulating the skin's response to ultraviolet rays, revealing a tradeoff between stress response and pigmentation. The 'UV-protection timer' optimizes sun damage prevention by synchronizing natural defense mechanisms.
Researchers from the Borexino collaboration confirm previous assumptions about the Sun's fusion processes using a comprehensive analysis of neutrinos from the Sun's core. The results substantiate the standard solar model and reveal an interesting clue to a previously unresolved solar mystery: high metallicity.
Researchers at UMass Amherst and international team reveal the first complete study of solar neutrinos emitted by the Sun, shedding light on its energy output and composition. The study uses data from Borexino, a highly sensitive neutrino detector, to measure the full energy spectrum of solar neutrinos.
RMIT researchers develop color-changing sensors to measure individual UV exposure, providing a simple solution to prevent Vitamin D deficiency and sunburn. The technology has potential applications beyond health, improving safety and reliability in various industries.
Researchers at NYU Abu Dhabi used NASA's Kepler mission and asteroseismology to determine precise rotational patterns of Sun-like stars, challenging current science on stellar rotation. They found that equatorial regions spin up to two and a half times faster than mid- to high latitudes.
Researchers used Kepler spacecraft to monitor stellar oscillations of 40 Sun-like stars, finding signs of differential rotation in some. The equators spin nearly twice as fast as mid-latitudes in the strongest signals, posing a challenge to existing theories.
Two lunar transits were observed by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory in September 2018, with the first lasting one hour and obscuring 92% of the Sun. The second transit was shorter, lasting 49 minutes and showing a distinct view of the Moon's surface due to the lack of atmospheric distortion.
A widely used drug has been identified as a contributor to skin cancer development, with researchers calling for enhanced sun protection advice. The study, published in Nature Communications, found a strong association between azathioprine use and a specific mutational signature in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.
Scientists are developing a NASA-funded rocket called FOXSI to study the Sun's X-ray emissions. The mission will use X-ray vision to detect nanoflares, which are intense eruptions that heat the solar atmosphere to millions of degrees Fahrenheit.
Researchers found that fruit flies use a small, bright spot (the simulated sun) as a landmark to fly straight with respect to its position. The study also shows that these flies have compass neurons in their brains associated with this navigational behavior.
Researchers at Predictive Science Inc. developed a complex numerical model to simulate the corona, using data from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. Their prediction bore a striking resemblance to the Aug. 21, 2017, corona, indicating advances in the new model and its ability to reflect key features such as helmet streamers.
Parker Solar Probe, launched in August 2018, will study the solar corona's temperature and wind sources with French-developed instruments. The probe will complete 25 orbits near the Sun, reaching speeds of up to 700,000 km/h.
Parker Solar Probe will make its journey to the Sun's atmosphere, closer than any spacecraft in history, with a highly elliptical orbit and speeds of up to 430,000 miles per hour. The spacecraft will observe the acceleration of the solar wind and study extreme events on the Sun, such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections.
A brief dermatologist intervention was found to improve patients' sun protection behavior and increase their satisfaction with communication with their dermatologist. The study compared 72 patients who received the Addressing Behavior Change (ABC) intervention with 81 patients in a comparison group over several months.
A new study in Nature Astronomy finds that ancient blue crystals trapped in meteorites show evidence of the early Sun's intense activity, including more eruptions and a stronger stream of charged particles. The crystals, formed over 4.5 billion years ago, preserved chemical records of the young Sun's interactions with its surroundings.
The Parker Solar Probe will directly sample solar particles and magnetic fields to resolve the origin and acceleration of the solar wind. It aims to understand how the solar wind is accelerated to speeds of up to 1.8 million miles per hour.
Scientists have long been puzzled by the Sun's hot corona, with temperatures up to 2 million degrees Fahrenheit. The Parker Solar Probe will sample just-heated particles in the corona, providing the most pristine measurements ever recorded.
Scientists can now study the Sun's complex motions using sound waves captured by NASA and ESA. This sonification technique provides a unique probe into the star's inner workings, revealing huge rivers of solar material flowing around its core.
Parker Solar Probe aims to study the Sun's dynamic and magnetically active star, focusing on the acceleration of solar wind, corona's high temperatures, and solar energetic particles. The mission uses four suites of instruments to gather data remotely and in situ.
The Parker Solar Probe will travel closer to the Sun than any mission before it, providing unprecedented observations of the corona. Despite temperatures exceeding a million degrees Fahrenheit, the spacecraft will withstand due to its custom heat shield and autonomous system.
A team of scientists led by Craig DeForest used advanced algorithms and data-cleaning techniques to analyze images taken by NASA's STEREO spacecraft. They discovered fine-grained structures in the outer corona, which is the source of the solar wind. The study provides new insights into the Sun's million-degree atmosphere.
A team of researchers found that the sun's rotational cycle influences lightning activity in Japan, with peaks every 24 to 31 days. The solar cycle affects the level of solar activity, which amplifies the rhythm of lightning activity.
To correct for degradation, NASA launches calibration sounding rockets carrying a copy of the EVE instrument to approximately 180 miles above Earth. These measurements are compared to those from the degraded satellite, allowing Woods' team to correct for discrepancies and maintain accurate EUV light measurements.
Researchers in Brazil have discovered that sun coral can regenerate at a faster rate as water temperature increases, making it a formidable invasive species. The study's findings suggest that the genus Tubastraea, which comprises seven species, including two invasive ones, can thrive in various marine environments.
The Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter missions will take us closer than ever before to the Sun, providing a comprehensive understanding of its inner workings and shedding light on space weather events that can disrupt technology and power grids. The missions aim to clarify the coronal heating problem and study the solar wind's inter...
A team of international astronomers predicts the sun will turn into a planetary nebula, marking the end of its active life. The new model shows that low-mass stars like the sun can form bright planetary nebulas, solving a long-standing scientific puzzle.