Warm Coronal Loops Offer Clue To Mysteriously Hot Solar Atmosphe...

Courtesy ScienceDaily  Mon, 06/02/2008 - 09:30

Scientists at NASA reveal a new understanding of the mysterious mechanism responsible for heating the outer part of the solar atmosphere, the corona, to million degree temperatures.

The corona is made up of loops of hot gas that arch high above the sun's surface. These loops can have a wide range of temperatures, many reaching several million degrees Kelvin, but those of intermediate temperature have proven the most difficult to explain.

Impulsive energy bursts called nanoflares seem to be the key.

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