An unusual eruption on the Sun may offer clues to
understanding our star's
mysterious explosions. Solar eruptions are
massive releases of material off the
surface of the Sun.
This material can travel across the solar system to
Earth and Mars.
The radiation in the material from the Sun can
interact with the planets' magnetic fields, affecting
astronauts and technology.
Eruptions on the Sun usually come in one of three
forms: coronal mass ejections, jets and partial eruptions.
The new research studying an event named the
Rosetta Stone of solar eruptions. Just as the
Rosetta Stone was the key to understanding
Egyptian hieroglyphics,
studying this eruption could be the key to
understanding all types of solar eruptions.
In the Rosetta Stone eruption, all three types of
eruptions happened in the same event.
They usually occur separately.
The main eruption was too big to be a jet, but too
narrow to be a coronal mass ejection.
A second cooler layer of material on the surface of
the Sun also started to erupt about a half an hour
later. But it fell back down as a partial solar eruption.
This Rosetta Stone of solar eruptions will also give
clues to help scientists predict large eruptions in
the future.
The better our predictions are, the more time we
have to prepare for material from the Sun to
interact with Earth's magnetic field.
Predicting large solar eruptions can help better
protect astronauts in space and technology on Earth.