Three of the Sun's biggest mysteries that still trouble astrophysicists today

Despite significant advances in solar research over the past few decades, scientists still encounter several unsolved mysteries regarding our star that they aim to resolve through current and future missions.

The launch of satellites into space has considerably enhanced scientists' understanding of the Sun. They have observed it for the first time in ultraviolet and X-ray wavelengths, revealing a multitude of new phenomena. While many earlier observations have been explained, some of the Sun's mysteries remain unanswered.

One of the biggest mysteries concerns the heating of the solar coronaThe solar corona is the outer atmosphere of the Sun, extending millions of kilometers into space. The outer atmosphere of the Sun has a temperature of about 1 million degrees Celsius, while its surface is only 5,500 degrees. This contradicts intuitive understanding, as the atmosphere should be cooler than the surface. Scientists are trying to figure out how energy is transferred from the Sun's surface to its atmosphere.

Another mystery is related to the Sun's internal dynamoThe solar dynamo is the mechanism that generates the Sun's magnetic field through the movement of plasma in its inner layers. and its 11-year activity cycle. Although the overall mechanism of the cycle is understood, the specifics of the internal processes governing the Sun's magnetic field remain unexplained. Scientists are particularly interested in why peaks of solar activity vary in intensity across different cycles.

The third major issue is forecasting solar flares and coronal mass ejections — massive expulsions of plasma and magnetic field from the Sun's corona. These phenomena affect space weather and can disrupt Earth's infrastructure. Current forecasts are probabilistic, and scientists are eager to comprehend the mechanisms that trigger these events to enhance prediction accuracy.

To address these mysteries, numerous space missions and ground-based telescopes are employed. NASA, ESA, Japan, India, and China have launched satellites to study the Sun. Ground observatories, notably the largest solar telescope, the Inouye Solar Telescope, also play a crucial role in this research.

Source: Space