Bizarre Physics Seen on Sun Could Answer Mysteries of Magnetic Field

Sunspots near the surface of the Sun are driven by an unexpected magnetic instability, a new study finds.

What we see of the Sun is a rollicking, moving ball of plasma (ionized gas), rotating as the Sun moves around its axis. Electric currents within the Sun creates a massive magnetic field, which driving sunspot activity. Exactly how this happens, however, remains a mystery.

A new finding suggests an unexplained mechanism may be unfolding within this plasma, potentially playing a critical role in the behavior of the Sun’s magnetic field.

Plasma rises from the surface of the Sun sue to the movement of magnetic fields. Image credit: NASA/SDO

An Attractive Idea About Magnetism

The Sun rotates at different speeds at its equator than it does near the poles. Near the solar equator, the Sun rotates once every 25 days, while polar regions take 33–35 days to make one trip around the solar axis. This results in a stretching of magnetic field lines, which can eventually break, forming sunspots.

Sunspots, perhaps the best-known feature of the Sun to non-astronomers, form around 30 degrees north and south of the equator, and slowly migrate toward the center. As time goes on during the 11-year solar cycle, the number of visible sunspots rises, and the features start to form closer to the equator. This means that most sunspots are seen near…