Study of Solar Magnetic Fields

Source- This post on Study of Solar Magnetic Fields has been created based on the article “IIA finds a novel way to explore the sun’s secrets by studying solar magnetic fields” published in “The Hindu” on 23rd August 2024.

Why in News?

Astronomers at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) have found a new way to probe deeper into the sun’s secrets by studying the solar magnetic fields at different layers of the solar atmosphere. The study is being done by the IIA’s Kodaikanal Tower Tunnel Telescope.

What is the study about

The study is focussed on finding the physical mechanisms behind the coronal Heating Problem and solar winds.

Coronal Heating- The ‘coronal heating problem’ refers to the fact that the photosphere (a deeper layer of the Sun) is at a much lower temperature than the corona (outer layer of the Sun).

Mechanism Behind Coronal heating according to the study- The solar atmosphere is composed of various layers interconnected through magnetic fields. The magnetic field acts as a conduit to transfer energy and mass from the inner layers to the outer layers. This leads to problem of coronal heating and primarily drive solar wind.

About Kodaikanal Solar Observatory

It is a solar observatory owned and operated by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics. It is located in Kodaikanal in the Palani hills of Tamil Nadu.

Initially, KoSO had telescopes to study sunspots, prominences, and solar radiation. Now, it has advanced instruments like the H-alpha telescope and the White Light Active Region Monitor (WARM) for high solar imaging.

Read More- 125 years of Kodaikanal Solar Observatory

UPSC Syllabus- Science and Tecnology