A Solar Eruption in 5 Steps

  • Released Wednesday, April 26th, 2017
  • Updated Wednesday, May 3rd, 2023 at 1:47PM
  • ID: 12588

Music credit: Prism Mystery by Donn Wilkerson

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Scientists from Durham University in the United Kingdom and NASA now propose that a universal mechanism can explain the whole spectrum of solar eruptions. They used 3-D computer simulations to demonstrate that a variety of eruptions can theoretically be thought of as the same kind of event, only in different sizes and manifested in different ways. Their work is summarized in a paper published in Nature on April 26, 2017.

Computer simulation of a filament eruption. Field lines are colored to depict the various magnetic field regions: The filament/flux rope (yellow). forms beneath the central arcade (blue) before erupting. The semi-transparent shading shows current density in the plane.

Credit: Peter F. Wyper (Durham University); Spiro K. Antiochos & C. Richard DeVore (NASA GSFC)

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NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

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