Archive · 24 Jul 2025
Indian Scientists Uncover Details of Sun's Tiny Plasma Loops
Scientists in India have found tiny loops of hot plasma in the Sun's atmosphere, like super-small versions of bigger loops we already knew about.
These loops are very short-lived but give us clues about how the Sun works.
Scientists used special telescopes on Earth and in space to study them.
The loops are extremely hot, which is surprising, and they want to learn why.
This discovery could help us understand how the Sun stores and releases energy.
Future telescopes might help scientists discover even more about these mysterious solar features.
Indian scientists discovered miniature plasma loops in the Sun's atmosphere.
These loops are about 3,000 to 4,000 km long but less than 100 km wide.
The loops last only a few minutes, making them difficult to observe.
Researchers used ground-based and space-based instruments for observation.
The study revealed high plasma temperatures within the loops, posing new research questions.
- Who
- Scientists from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) in Bengaluru.
- What
- Discovery of miniature plasma loops in the Sun's atmosphere.
- When
- The study was recently published.
- Where
- The research was conducted at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) in Bengaluru and used data from observatories in the USA and space.
- Why
- To better understand the Sun's behavior and the storage/release of magnetic energy.
- Scientists
- Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA)
- Loops Length
- 3,000 - 4,000 km
- Loops Width
- Less than 100 km
- Loop Lifespan
- A few minutes
- Telescopes Used
- Goode Solar Telescope, Solar Dynamics Observatory, Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph
- Study Published In
- The Astrophysical Journal