sunspots tagged posts

About 80 solar cycles seen from the surface, i.e. more than 1,000 years in solar time, modelled by means of a computer simulation. At 20-50 years in simulation time, a simulated grand minimum occurs, which in actual fact is the maximum of magnetic energy. Credit: Image courtesy of Aalto University

The study of the Sun’s long-term variation over a millennium by means of super computer modelling showed that during a time period of the Maunder Minimum type, the magnetic field may hide at the bottom of the convection zone. The study seeks explanation for the mechanisms underlying the long-term variation in solar activity. The recently published study was carried out by running a global computer model of the Sun on Finland’s most powerful super computer over 6 months.

‘The Sun has an 11-year cy...

(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...