(Left) Hinode observation of a developing sunspot. An elongated bright feature called a ‘light bridge’ appears between the merging pores (darkest parts). (Right) Computer simulation of sunspot formation. A light bridge resembling the one observed is formed between the pores. (Credit: NAOJ/JAXA/LMSAL/NASA)
Sunspots are planet-sized conglomerates of bundles of intense magnetic field lines on the surface of the Sun. They are known to cause solar flares which can directly impact our technological infrastructure. Shin Toriumi’s team analyzed observations of sunspots as they formed taken by Hinode, the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) satellites.
The team modeled the observations using state-of-the-art numerical simulations performed on the Pl...
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