Solar Flares May Be Significantly Hotter Than Previously Estimated, New Research Suggests
recent findings indicate solar flares could reach temperatures exceeding 100 million degrees Fahrenheit - possibly six times hotter than prior estimates. The research,published in Astrophysical Journal Letters,challenges long-held assumptions about the temperature balance within thes powerful solar eruptions.
Scientists have traditionally measured the temperature of electrons emitted during solar flares, assuming ions – another type of particle released – would be at a similar temperature. However, new computer simulations and measurements taken in near-Earth space suggest ions can become far hotter.
“We’ve kind of just assumed, well, the ion temperature would be the same as the electron temperature,” explains Alexander Russell of the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. His team’s calculations now estimate flare temperatures could reach as high as 180 million degrees Fahrenheit.
The sun’s core is approximately 27 million degrees Fahrenheit, while its surface is around 10,000 degrees.The outer layer, visible during a total solar eclipse, can exceed 2 million degrees.
James Drake, a physicist at the University of Maryland, has long advocated for considering the temperature difference between electrons and ions. ”We’ve been confronting the solar physicists, telling them that even though they’ve measured in a lot of detail what’s going on with the electrons, they’re missing somthing big,” Drake stated.
Understanding the true temperature of solar flares is crucial for protecting satellites and astronauts from the potentially damaging effects of these eruptions. These flares occur when a sudden release of magnetic energy sends particles shooting outwards.
