Parker Solar Probe Finds Clues to How the Sun Heats its Outer Atmosphere
Scientists have found that strange magnetic bends in the solar wind act like tiny heaters for the particles flying off the Sun.
The Drop
Why It Matters
The Catch
Put That in Perspective
Scientists have been studying solar wind patterns for decades, but the Parker Solar Probe has provided a new perspective by getting right into the action near the Sun. Future missions will likely use these findings to model how much of the total solar wind heating is caused by these switchbacks versus other processes.
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