MessageToEagle.com - Coronal cavities are voids in coronal emission often observed above high latitude
filament channels.
Sometimes, these cavities have areas of bright X-ray emission in their centers.
Now, NASA scientists focus on this mysterious phenomenon because it seems to be strongly related to
dangerous coronal mass ejections (CMEs).
And CMEs, scientists have to worry about.
Click on image to enlarge
The faint oval hovering above the upper left limb of the sun in this picture is known as a coronal
cavity. NASA’s Solar and Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) captured this image on Aug. 9, 2007.
A team of scientists extensively studied this particular cavity in order to understand more about the
structure and magnetic fields in the sun's atmosphere. Credit: NASA/STEREO
The Sun's abnormal behavior is a cause for concern even we all know that activity
near the Sun's surface rises and falls through an 11-year cycle that is due to peak in 2013 or 2014.
What causes giant explosions in the sun's atmosphere? How do they form?
The cavity as it appeared on the west limb on 2008 July 21. The location of the cavity is indicated
by a box. Source
Scientists want to better understand the complexity of solar activity and its dangerous events.
It's crucial to find a way to predict them and minimize the damage they might cause.
"We don't really know what gets these CMEs going," says Terry Kucera, a solar scientist at NASA's
Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "So we want to understand their structure before they
even erupt, because then we might have a better clue about why it's erupting and perhaps even get
some advance warning on when they will erupt."
A team of researchers used NASA data to study a precursor of CMEs called coronal cavities - a larger formation,
appearing from the side almost as the filament inside a large light bulb.
The bright structure around and above that light bulb is called a streamer, and the inside "empty" area is
called a coronal prominence cavity.
According to scientists, the cavity is in the shape of a croissant, with a giant inner tube of looping magnetic fields.
The cavity appears to be 30% less dense than the streamer surrounding it, and the temperatures vary greatly
throughout the cavity, but on average range from 1.4 million to 1.7 million Celsius (2.5 to 3 million Fahrenheit),
increasing with height.
Of course, to describe a cavity, a space that appears empty from our viewpoint, from 93 million miles away - is
not any easy task for scientists.
The evolution of the part of the cavity over several days -
visible from Earth, July 2008. Source
The Aug. 9, 2012 cavity lay at a fortuitous angle that maximized observations of the cavity itself, as opposed to
the prominence at its base or the surrounding plasma.
"Our point with all of these research projects into what might seem like side streets, is ultimately to figure
out the physics of magnetic fields in the corona," says Sarah Gibson, a solar scientist at the High Altitude
Observatory at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colo.
Gibson is also an author on all three cavity papers.
"Sometimes these cavities can be stable for days and weeks, but then suddenly erupt into a CME. We want to
understand how that happens."
We’re accessing so much data, so it’s an exciting time – with all these observations, our understanding
is coming together to form a consistent story."
Sun Fires Off Powerful Flares -
Their Intensity Increases
The current increase in the number of X-class flares is part of the sun’s normal 11-year solar cycle,
during which activity on the sun ramps up to solar maximum, which is expected to peak in late 2013...
UPDATE: Huge Stripe On The Sun - Is Earth In Serious Danger? UPDATE: This article has now been updated with additional information from NASA including images and video!
The Sun's odd behavior has been mentioned on many occasions recently. As we all await the Solar Cycle 24, scientists keep a close eye on the Sun.
Space-Time Crystal Computer That Can Outlive Even The Universe Itself!
It may seem strange to think something can survive even the death of the Universe, but that could actually be possible as a result of the laws of quantum physics.
Scientists are now suggesting a new blueprint for a device, known as a time crystal, that can theoretically continue to function as a
computer even...
X-ray 'Echoes' Will Help Probe
A Supermassive Black Hole's Surroundings
Most big galaxies host a big central black hole containing millions of times the sun's mass. When matter streams toward one of
these supermassive black holes, the galaxy's center lights up, emitting billions of times more energy than the sun.
For years, astronomers have been monitoring such "active galactic nuclei" (AGN) to better understand what happens on the brink of a monster black hole.
Mysterious X-Rays From Jupiter Near The Poles
Although there had been prior detections of X-rays from Jupiter with other X-ray telescopes, no one expected that the sources of the
X-rays would be located so near the poles.
The X-rays are thought to be produced by energetic oxygen and sulfur ions that are trapped in Jupiter's magnetic field and crash into its atmosphere.
Next Magnetic Pole Reversal Is Underway - Scientists Say
A new study indicates that there is a possible connection between the Earth's inner core and a magnetic reversal.
The magnetic field reverses direction every few thousand years. If it happened now, we would be exposed to solar winds capable of knocking
out global communications and power grids...
MessageToEagle.com - Coronal cavities are voids in coronal emission often observed above high latitude
filament channels.
The current increase in the number of X-class flares is part of the sun’s normal 11-year solar cycle,
during which activity on the sun ramps up to solar maximum, which is expected to peak in late 2013...
UPDATE: This article has now been updated with additional information from NASA including images and video!
It may seem strange to think something can survive even the death of the Universe, but that could actually be possible as a result of the laws of quantum physics.
Scientists are now suggesting a new blueprint for a device, known as a time crystal, that can theoretically continue to function as a
computer even...
During a light storm we expect to see flashes in the sky and evil-looking clouds.
What we certainly do not expect...
Have you ever had a déjà vu experience? It's the feeling, or impression that you have already witnessed or experienced a current
situation...
Most big galaxies host a big central black hole containing millions of times the sun's mass. When matter streams toward one of
these supermassive black holes, the galaxy's center lights up, emitting billions of times more energy than the sun.
For years, astronomers have been monitoring such "active galactic nuclei" (AGN) to better understand what happens on the brink of a monster black hole.
Although there had been prior detections of X-rays from Jupiter with other X-ray telescopes, no one expected that the sources of the
X-rays would be located so near the poles.
The X-rays are thought to be produced by energetic oxygen and sulfur ions that are trapped in Jupiter's magnetic field and crash into its atmosphere.
A new study indicates that there is a possible connection between the Earth's inner core and a magnetic reversal.
The magnetic field reverses direction every few thousand years. If it happened now, we would be exposed to solar winds capable of knocking
out global communications and power grids...
