Tag: magnetic fields
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Finding the point of no return: mapping the Sun’s shifting, spiky boundary for the first time
Introduction: A closer look at the Sun’s untamed edge For the first time, scientists have produced highly detailed maps of the Sun’s outer atmosphere—the boundary where solar material breaks away from the Sun’s magnetic grip and flows into space. This shedding boundary, marked by a juggling of magnetic fields and fast-moving particles, is not a…
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Finding the Point of No Return: Mapping the Sun’s Shifting Outer Boundary for the First Time
Unveiling a solar frontier For the first time, scientists have produced detailed maps of the Sun’s outer atmosphere—the tenuous edge where solar material breaks free from the Sun’s magnetic grip and streams into the solar wind. This boundary, long speculated about by solar physicists, is not a fixed line but a dynamic, spiky frontier that…
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First Detailed Map of the Sun’s Outer Atmosphere Boundary
Introduction: A landmark in solar physics In an advance that changes how we understand the Sun’s influence on the solar system, scientists have produced the first highly detailed maps of the Sun’s outer atmosphere boundary. This boundary, where solar material begins to break free from the Sun’s magnetic grip and stream into space, has long…
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Vampire Star Unveiled: IXPE Reveals Feeding in a Dead White Dwarf System
Scientists Catch the First Glimpse of a ‘Vampire Star’ Feeding on Its Victim In a landmark discovery, researchers using NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) have captured the first detailed view of the inner region where a dying white dwarf siphons material from a close stellar companion. This “vampire star” scenario, where a compact remnant…
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Astronomers finally explain the strange physics of ghostly ‘radio relics’ in space
What are radio relics and why do they glow? Galaxy clusters—the universe’s largest gravitationally bound structures—often collide in slow-motion mergers. These cosmic clashes generate enormous shock waves as gas and dark matter interact at colossal scales. Embedded in the hot, X-ray-emitting plasma of these clusters are radio relics: vast, arc-shaped ribbons of diffuse radio emission…
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White Dwarf Binary: First Look at the Inner Region
A New View into a Dead-Star Dance About 200 light-years from Earth, a binary pairing hides in plain sight: a white dwarf—the dense remnant of a once-sunlike star—and its larger stellar companion. Recent observations provide the first close look at the innermost region where their gravitational and magnetic forces shape a cosmic waltz of matter.…
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Unprecedented Milky Way Radio View: 40,000 Hours to Build
Introduction: A New Perspective on the Milky Way A startling new image of our own galaxy emerges not from optical light, but from radio wavelengths. An unprecedented Milky Way radio view took more than 40,000 hours to construct, blending data from multiple radio telescopes into a single, coherent portrait. This week’s space photo of the…
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Fiery Plasma Dancing Above the Sun: An Astrophotography Close-Up
Revealing the Sun’s Fiery Halo: A Close-Up View In a spectacular turn for solar photography, an astrophotographer has captured a close-up view of the sun that reveals a cloud of hydrogen plasma twisting and dancing just above the solar surface. The footage, recorded on October 20, offers a rare glimpse of the sun’s dynamic atmosphere,…
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Fiery Solar Show: Close-Up Video Captures Dynamic Hydrogen Plasma Dancing Above the Sun
Introduction: A new glimpse of the sun’s restless surface Astrophotographer Mark Johnston has delivered a stunning new glimpse into the sun’s complex behavior, sharing a close-up video that captures a cloud of hydrogen plasma twisting and dancing above the solar surface. Filmed on October 20, the footage offers a rare, intimate look at how magnetic…
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Fiery plasma dancing above the sun: close-up astro video
Stunning close-up captures of solar activity An accomplished astrophotographer has delivered a spellbinding glimpse of the sun’s dynamic surface. The clip, captured on October 20, reveals a cloud of hydrogen plasma twisting and dancing high above the solar surface. The motion is guided by powerful magnetic fields that shape and suspend this incandescent plasma, creating…