The sun is in the quietest state for a century or so, and the dark spots are scarcely in a way that has been confusing for over two years. Now, for the first time, solar physicists have found an answer to this phenomenon.
At a news conference held by the US Space Association in Boulder, Colorado, researchers announced that the flow of narrow atmospheres deep in the sun is moving slower than usual, causing a lack of absence of sunspots.
Rachel Howe and Frank Hill of the National Solar Observatory (NSO) in Tucson, Arizona, used helioseismology to detect and monitor atmospheric currents up to 7,000 kilometers below the sun's surface. The sun produces narrow atmospheric currents near its poles on a 11-year cycle. These currents move slowly from 2 poles to the equator, and when a line reaches an important point on latitude 22, the sunspot of the new cycle begins to appear.
Howe and Hill have discovered that the flow associated with the upcoming solar cycle has moved abnormally slowly, taking up to three years to pass 10 latitudes, while in the previous cycle, this process It only takes 2 years.
Now, finally, the flow of narrow atmospheres is also reaching a critical point, promising a return to the normal functioning of the sun in the near future.
"It is interesting that we also see this flow reaching latitude 22, although one year late, we finally see the sunspot groups appearing," Hill said.
The current "rest" time of the sun has existed for a long time and is very deep, making scientists think that the sun can enter for a long time without any stain activity . It's like the Maunder Minimum period of the 17th century. The sun's magnetic field is still active, and the black stain cycle doesn't "break".
Because narrow atmospheric flows move below the surface of the sun, we cannot observe them directly. Hill and Howe followed these underground activities through helioseismology.
The blocks moving inside the sun emit pressure waves in the planet's planet and the sun sounds like a giant bell.By studying the vibrations of the solar surface, one can understand what is happening below. Similar techniques are also used by geologists to map layers beneath the Earth's surface.
In this case, the scientists combined data from GONG ("Global Oscillation Network Group") - the telescope system managed by NSO to measure solar vibration from different positions on the earth. - and SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) observation satellite conduct similar measurements from the universe.
"This is an important discovery," said Dean Pesnell, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center officer. "It shows how the internal currents in the sun are related to the formation of black marks and how these influences flow to the duration of the solar cycle."
However, more research is needed.
"We still do not understand exactly how narrow atmospheric currents can begin the formation of sunspots in the way, " Pesnell said. "It is unclear how these streams themselves formed."
"To discover these secrets, and many other unknown things, NASA plans to launch an observatory named Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) later this year. SDO is equipped with pure helioseismology sensors. Most, allow the best monitoring of the activity that takes place inside the sun.
"HMI devices (Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager) on SDO will enhance our understanding of these narrow atmospheric flows and other currents by providing high-definition images to the depths of the interior. the sun, " Pesnell said.
Continuing to monitor and study narrow atmospheric currents can help researchers make an unprecedented miracle, which is an accurate prediction of future solar cycles.