Science & Tech · Space · 1 day ago
Balloon telescope finds magnetic threads in the Sun’s quiet atmosphere
In 2024, the SUNRISE III mission used a telescope carried beneath a helium balloon to observe the Sun from about 35 kilometres above Earth.
At that height, instruments were above most of the atmosphere, which can blur fine details.
The mission studied the Sun’s chromosphere, including quieter regions that receive less attention than sunspots.
Its measurements revealed narrow magnetic threads with varying strength and direction, including some with polarity opposite to the surrounding field.
A separate study used computer simulations to show that these unusual structures matched twisted magnetic flux ropes.
Such ropes are associated with energy-releasing processes that can help drive solar flares, though the source says they break and disconnect less often in these quiet regions.
The findings offer a more detailed picture of the Sun’s magnetic structure, and a companion paper examines what causes the opposite-polarity features.
SUNRISE III observations revealed narrow magnetic threads in the Sun’s relatively calm chromosphere.
The mission used a balloon-borne telescope and instruments to observe the Sun above most of Earth’s atmosphere.
Its Sunrise Chromospheric Infrared spectroPolarimeter measured magnetic fields across multiple layers of the solar atmosphere.
The threads are about 725 km across, with magnetic strengths of 10 to 20 Gauss.
Researchers say the findings point to a complex magnetic canopy that may enable small-scale magnetic reconnections.
- Who
- The SUNRISE III mission’s researchers studied the Sun’s magnetic fields.
- What
- The team found narrow magnetic threads in the Sun’s quiet chromosphere.
- When
- The observations were made in 2024. The papers on the results were published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.
- Where
- In the Sun’s chromosphere, observed by a balloon-borne telescope flying at roughly 35 km above Earth.
- Why
- Not stated
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
These findings suggest that the canopy field is not simply an expanding structure originating from network regions, but instead has a complex three-dimensional configuration containing numerous localized sub-structures
The SUNRISE III mission observed the Sun from a gondola beneath a helium balloon.
Researchers compiled three scientific papers on the mission’s results, which were published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.
- Balloon altitude
- Roughly 35 km
- Telescope
- 1 m solar telescope
- Thread width
- 725 km
- Magnetic strength
- 10 to 20 Gauss
- Mission
- SUNRISE III
- Observation year
- 2024
Sources
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