We don’t want to scare anyone, but the sun is broken.
Part of the Sun has left the surface and started orbiting the top of the star as if it were a giant polar vortex, and it’s not exactly clear why this happened.
The sighting was made possible by the James Webb Space Telescope and, unsurprisingly, has piqued the interest of scientists around the world.
Tamitha Skov is a space weather physicist who regularly shares updates on social media, and she seemed incredibly excited about the latest developments.
“Talk about a polar vortex! “The material from the northern spur has just broken away from the main filament and is now circulating in a massive polar vortex around the north pole of our star,” she wrote.
“The implications here for understanding the atmospheric dynamics of the Sun above 55° cannot be overstated!”
Solar bulges are made up of hydrogen and helium and are pushed out of the sun’s orbit, releasing plasma.
Although there is confusion as to the cause of this phenomenon, it could be related to the reversal of the sun’s magnetic field, as well as the fact that something expected has been known to happen when the sun reaches 55 degrees latitude every 11 solar years. cycle.
Solar physicist Scott McIntosh, who is deputy director of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, told Space.com: “Once every solar cycle, it forms at 55 degrees latitude and starts marching up to the solar poles.
“It is very curious. There is a big “why” question surrounding this. Why does it move to the pole only once and then disappear and then magically return three or four years later in the exact same area?”
Log in for our free weekly Indy100 newsletter
Have your say in our news democracy. Click the vote for icon at the top of the page to help raise this article in the indy100 rankings.
