NASA announced Monday that it has chosen a cube satellite approximately the size of an average shoebox to measure the sun’s corona and determine the origins of hot Plasma on the star’s dangerous side.
CubeSat Imaging X-Ray Solar Spectrometer, or CubIXSS, was designed by a team from Southwest Research Institute. It will be launched in 2024.
The sun’s surface temperature is more than 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit – but the corona routinely measures more than 1.8 million degrees Fahrenheit.
The U.S. Space Agency is particularly interested hot plasma, a highly Ionized Gas. It is located primarily in solar storms, solar flares, solar flares and coronal Mass ejections (CME).
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“A solar flare occurs when the magnetic field within that active region becomes so twisted, tangled, that it basically’snaps back into a less complicated shape,” said Dr. Amir Caspi (SwRI Principal Scientist), the mission’s leader, in a statement.
“That snap releases a lot energy, which we view as a solar flare.”
NASA announced Monday that it has selected a cube satellite approximately the size of shoeboxes to measure the sun’s corona. It will also be able to understand the origins and fate of hot plasma in dangerous areas of the sun.
Hot plasma can be found in solar storms, solar flares, and coronal mass eruptions. The sun’s corona (pictured), regularly measures more than 1.8 Million degrees Fahrenheit.
The sun’s corona – its outermost atmosphere – is of intense interest to NASA and other researchers around the world.
In August, NASA launched an X-ray solar imager to determine why the sun’s corona grows significantly hotter than the surface.
The sun’s surface temperature is more than 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit – but the corona routinely measures more than 1.8 million degrees Fahrenheit.
Caspi said that one of the most interesting things is how much plasma from solar flares is heated directly within the corona and how much is heated inside the Sun’s lower atmosphere before being transported up to the corona.
Although it is small in satellite terms, CubIXSS will be larger than a standard cube satellite. It will be about the same size as a shoebox.
“CubIXSS will measure X-rays from these phenomena to help us unravel this mystery.”
The solar flares are located in the corona, which heats up at ‘tens to millions of degrees Celsius,’ according to the statement. It is hotter than even the corona.
The solar flares occur in the corona region, which heats up at ‘tens to millions of degrees Celsius,’ according to the statement. This is much hotter than the corona.
‘Some elemental species – certain ions – can only exist in a specific range of temperatures, so seeing which elements are more prevalent helps us to create a temperature map,’ Caspi added.
“Previous observations have shown that certain elements are more prevalent in the corona than in other regions of the Sun.
“By measuring the abundances at each temperature of these elements, we can tell where heated plasma came from.”
CubIXSS will have a larger satellite than a standard cube satellite, and will be about the same size as a shoebox.
There will be multiple spectrometers on board that can measure different wavelengths (or ‘colors’) of X-rays emitted from the sun.
These wavelengths include a new type of Xray imaging spectrometer which can be used to determine the amounts and compositions of certain key elements within the sun’s corea. This will enable Caspi to determine where that plasma was heated.
It will be the first cube satellite capable of continuously measuring wavelengths of solar radiation.
These emissions can not only determine the solar elements but also provide insight into how satellites in Earth’s atmosphere are affected.
They can also impact radio communications and cause changes in the Earth’s atmosphere.
‘Even though it may seem academic, what we’re doing is vital for all people on Earth. It is the driving force behind almost everything that happens on this planet,’ Caspi explained.
CMEs and solar flares can cause interference with satellites and radio frequencies, disrupting communication both on Earth as well as to satellites in orbit.
“Understanding how these events happen is essential to understand why they happen. This will help us predict these occurrences and mitigate their effects.
The cube satellite will be built later in the year. However, its cost remains unknown.
According to the statement, the satellite will be launched as a’secondary payload” as part of another launch in 2024.
Researchers discovered in January why the corona of the sun is chemically different to the star’s other layers.
The study showed magnetic waves in the chromosphere — the Sun’s middle layer — split up plasma, forcing only charged ions into the corona and leaving behind neutral particles.
WHAT IS THE SOLAR CYCLE?
The Sun is a huge ball of electrically-charged hot gas that moves, generating a powerful magnetic field.
The solar cycle is a cycle in which the magnetic field experiences a change.
Every 11 years, the Sun’s magnetic fields flip completely, meaning that the sun’s north pole and south pole switch places.
The solar cycle influences activity on the Sun’s surface such as sunspots, which are caused due to the Sun’s magnetic fields.
Every 11 years, the Sun’s magnet field flips. This means that the Suns north and south poles swap places. The solar cycle influences activity on the Sun’s surface. Stronger phases (2001) have more sunspots than weaker ones (1996/2006).
One way to track the solar cycles is to count the sunspots.
The start of a sunspot cycle is called a “solar minimum”, or when the Sun has fewer sunspots. As the sunspots increase, solar activity will rise.
The solar maximum is the middle of the solar cycle, when the Sun has the greatest number of sunspots.
The cycle ends and it fades back into the solar minimum, then a new one begins.
During the solar cycle, there are also giant eruptions of the Sun, such solar flares or coronal mass ejections.
These powerful explosions can send powerful bursts in space of energy and material that can have an impact on Earth.
Executions can also cause lights in the sky (called aurora) or impact radio communications and electricity grids.