Scientists create amazing models of how the sun will appear during an eclipse

The corona is the outer part of the Sun's atmosphere, which Earth's inhabitants can only see during a total solar eclipse. Its appearance is constantly evolving due to the sun's ever-changing magnetic field and varies during each solar eclipse. But on April 8, it will be especially striking, according to a newly released simulation from Predictive Science, a San Francisco-based company that develops computer models of the Sun and whose work supports a number of NASA missions.

The simulation reveals a dramatic starburst-like pattern with several large protrusions, including the 7 o'clock, 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock positions. Near the solar disk, some ring features are also visible.

Predictive science has a history of providing successful eclipse predictions. But this eclipse will be more difficult to predict than usual. This is because the current 11-year solar cycle is approaching its zenith, or maximum, when the Sun's magnetic field is at its greatest.

The behavior of this magnetic field is important because it distorts the plasma, or glowing gas, that makes up the corona. This luminous plasma tracks the Sun's magnetic field.

“The magnetic flux on the Sun near solar maximum changes a lot,” John Linker, head of Predictive Science, said in an interview. “Previously we could have done it a month in advance [prediction] Then expect another one a week ago. But the Sun is now very dynamic, which makes it very difficult. We're doing something more ambitious this year, because it's a model that evolves over time.

Despite the challenges in forecasting, Bob Lemon, a NASA researcher who focuses on heliophysics, said he expects this corona to be the most exciting ever seen.

During an eclipse, the corona tends to be less interesting during solar minimum, when the Sun is without sunspots for days or weeks. Sunspots are areas of enhanced magnetism on the Sun; The lack of sunspots means an unnoticeable magnetic field, and a fairly simple corona. At the Sun's north and south poles, “polar streams” of plasma follow magnetic field lines outside or inside the Sun, but there aren't many rings, prominences or noteworthy features.

This was the case in 2019 during the total eclipse in Chile:

But with solar maximum set for sometime in mid-2024, scientists expect the most dynamic corona on record.

“The more solar activity there is, the more spikes there will be around the sun,” Lemon said. “I think it would be really cool.”

On April 20 last year, a brief total solar eclipse affected one minute and two seconds of totality near Learmonth In the far northwest of Australia. Notice how dynamic the corona is compared to the eclipse in 2019:

There are more reasons why Corona on April 8 will be so special. Two large groups of sunspots could twist the corona into more dramatic shapes.

Of particular interest is the reincarnation of AR3590 (AR stands for active region), a sunspot cluster that produced a trio of first-order X-class flares in late February. It can orbit from the far side of the Sun back to the horizon, which may create stalactites, or large bands and magnetic rings.

Beyond the prominences, there's a chance to catch a glimpse of an exciting solar phenomenon known as a coronal mass ejection, or CME. This is a volcanic eruption of plasma and the magnetism of sunspots. CMEs can interact with Earth's magnetic field and create auroras for your viewing pleasure (but they usually last at least a day or two before bombarding our magnetic field).

“With flares and explosions, there is a very real possibility that we could see a CME coming out of the side of the sun,” Lemmon said. “That would be absolutely wonderful.”

During the eclipse, viewers on Earth will only see a phase of coronal ejection over a few minutes, such as the separation of some material from the Sun. The entire eruption will extend for an hour or more, which can be observed by piecing together many images taken by people or scientific instruments across the total path.

“You might see a big bubble coming out of the sun,” Lineker said. “I think even in the last two eclipses, there have been small coronal ejections, and there have been drawings in the past where people were drawing this bubble.” Some of these drawings date back to the 1870s.

If a person launches just before full blast, he hopes that his evolving model will pick it up over time and predict how it will behave, and what it will look like.

Predictive Science plans to continually update its corona predictions as more data leading up to the eclipse becomes available. they It can be accessed here.