00:00Today, I want to talk about some fiery looping rain on the Sun that was caught by NASA ESSA Solar Dynamics Observatory.
00:08On January 24, 2023, at 1639 Universal Time, the Solar Dynamics Observatory captured an interesting solar event.
00:19This event showed what appeared to be a fiery looping rain coming from the Sun's surface.
00:25The loops of fire were seen originating from sunspots and moving upward through the solar atmosphere.
00:32I remember seeing something like this back in July of 2020.
00:36It was a really cool event.
00:38And there was a lot of commentary by solar physicists and other experts trying to explain it.
00:44At the time, I made my own video about it and I had some ideas.
00:48But in reality, I think I was just making stuff up because I didn't really know what was going on.
00:56So I'm not going to talk about that video anymore.
00:59What we're seeing here is probably the result of an energy release in the solar atmosphere caused by the magnetic field structure.
01:07Think of it kind of like convection in Earth's atmosphere where hot plasma near the Sun's surface rises.
01:14And cooler plasma from higher up in the solar atmosphere sinks down to replace it.
01:21As the cooler plasma reaches the Sun's surface, it forms these cool-looking loops which appear dark against the bright photospheric background.
01:30I've talked about this before when we looked at specules.
01:34Specules are basically the same thing, except they're smaller.
01:37The fiery or more colorful appearance is due to the hot plasma that makes up the loops glowing due to its high temperature.
01:46These features are called supra-arcade.
01:48Downflows are SADS.
01:50Spurs SADS were first identified back in 2012 by a team of solar physicists led by Dr. Scott McIntosh from the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado.
02:02Since then, scientists have been working hard to learn more about these mysterious solar features and what causes them.
02:11These features are relatively rare, and they can only be observed during certain phases of the solar cycle, when the Sun's activity is at its peak.
02:21Their typical lifetime is only about a day.
02:24So, observing them is pretty challenging.
02:27They're also difficult to study because they occur high above the Sun's surface, which makes it hard to collect data on them.
02:35Despite these challenges, scientists have been able to learn a few things about these features.
02:42For example, we know that they are associated with the release of magnetic energy in the solar atmosphere.
02:48This energy release heats the plasma in the loops, causing them to glow brightly.
02:54We also know that SADS are related to solar flares and coronal mass ejections, which are major eruptions of plasma and magnetic field from the Sun's surface.
03:05In fact, spays often occur in regions of the Sun that are quiet, which makes them even more puzzling.
03:12Scientists are still trying to figure out what exactly triggers the energy release that causes them to form.
03:20One theory is that they are caused by the interaction between the Sun's magnetic field and the solar wind.
03:27The solar wind is a constant stream of plasma flowing outward from the Sun.
03:32As the solar wind interacts with the Sun's magnetic field, it can cause it to become unstable, leading to an energy release that forms SDS.
03:41Another theory is that SDSs are caused by the collapse of an unstable magnetic structure.
03:49This instability can cause the magnetic field to suddenly release a burst of energy, heating the plasma and forming the characteristic loops.
03:59It is important to study ADs because they can help us better understand the dynamics of the solar atmosphere and the release of magnetic energy on the Sun.
04:09This information is important for space weather forecasting because solar flares and coronal mass ejections can disrupt important things on Earth, like our telecommunications and our power grid system.
04:23This event actually happened in a region of the Sun that is not too far from the limb or edge of the Sun.
04:30It's not quite on the limb, but it's close.
04:34And if you look carefully, you can see the top of the loops actually disappears over the limb.
04:40This gives us some opportunity to look at these structures from a different angle.
04:45Normally we look down onto the Sun from the north, and we see these features kind of pop up out of the solar surface.
04:53Here we get to see them from the side.
04:55This gives us a better idea of their three-dimensional structure.
05:00We can see how they loop over and over again, like a rollercoaster ride.
05:05As the plasma in the loops moves upward, it cools off and becomes less bright.
05:10Eventually, it reaches a point where it's no longer hot enough to glow, and it fades away.
05:16This gives the impression of a fiery rain falling onto the Sun.
05:21Now, this event wasn't particularly big or significant.
05:25There were no solar flares or CMEs associated with it.
05:29It's just a small release of magnetic energy in the solar atmosphere.
05:34But it's still interesting to watch, because it is a beautiful example of the dynamics of the solar atmosphere.
05:41We are constantly learning new things about our Sun, and these dynamic events keep reminding us.
05:48Just how much we do it know about our closest star.
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06:20Alright, that's all I have for you today.
06:23Thanks for watching, and I'll see you next time.
06:25I'll see you next time.
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