Researchers at the IISER, Kolkata's Center of Excellence in Space Sciences India have discovered what happens sun is asleep.
Every now and then, a new space revelation is discovered by scientists that makes this topic much more interesting and intriguing. The sun has been very active throughout this year with episodes of solar flares and geomagnetic storms. However, this has not always been the case. There have been instances when the sun appears to be asleep and the sunspots on its surface entirely disappear.
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Kolkata's Center of Excellence in Space Sciences India have discovered what happens when the sun is entirely inactive and how the star revives its energy to erupt with life and send dangerous flares all across the solar system.
According to research presented in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, the polar and interior regions of the star continue to spin even while the sun is sound asleep. Scientists found that even during this naptime, the Sun's core dynamo system, which supports the solar cycle, is still working hard.
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What happens when the sun sleeps?
In the past, there have been periods when the sun's activity had reached an all-time low and there weren't any sunspots. The sun's energy and particle emission significantly decrease during this time period, known as the grand minimum.
According to astronomers, the growing number of sunspots seen on the star's surface abruptly stopped between 1645 and 1715. Such minima have been observed throughout the Sun's 4.6 billion-year life, so this is not an isolated occurrence.
There is little knowledge regarding the activity in the polar and deep areas of the sun during this time, even though we are aware of what occurs on its surface. Despite the fact that it is generally accepted that the Sun's large-scale magnetic cycle cuts off during these phases, the new study shows that this is not necessarily the case.
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What did researchers find?
While speaking to India Today, the authors of the research done by IISER Ph.D. candidates Chitradeep Saha, Sanghita Chandra, and Professor Dibyendu Nandy, noted magnetic fields in the Sun's interior are still rather active even during these phases that appear to be inactive. The convection zone continues to experience mild cycles of magnetic activity, which are unable to create sunspots.
Additionally, the scientists showed how the solar convection zone's plasma, which functions as a clock and propels weak magnetic cycles inside the Sun during what were previously thought to be periods of great inactivity, is constantly turning.
The study, which will focus on the Sun's interior and polar regions, which have remained a mystery to scientists, is likely to be useful for future developments to study the Sun. Two significant projects, the Parker Solar Probe from NASA and the Solar Orbiter from Europe, are currently coming closer to the star to observe the changes and improve our understanding of space weather.
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