In the perennial search to understand more about our world and our solar system, researchers from the University of Leuven have made an important discovery.
© Pixabay
While all we see is a brightly coloured ball in the sky, the truth is that there is far more to this mysterious orb than meets the eye of the spectator on Earth. Take solar winds, for example. These are continuous streams of charged particles coming from the sun. Many of the particles created by solar winds are electrons that behave as theory would predict them to…but some electrons have a much higher density and move faster than they theoretically should.
Using computer simulations, they figured out what creates these fast, powerful electrons. It turns out that they are the result of a complex process involving three phenomena: the solar wind, the ensuing weakening of the electromagnetic field around it, which cools the plasma in an irregular way, and turbulence which causes plasma to heat irregularly.
This knowledge can lead to better predictions of space weather in the future, unlocking the potential for us mere Earthlings to anticipate more accurately when there might be disruptive solar storms endangering our satellites, navigation or power grids, for example.
Another fine Belgian piece of important scientific research.
