Hinode observatory delivers new view of Sun

Stephen Withers
Thursday, 22 March 2007 03:03

Science - Space

Images from the Hinode space observatory show the Sun's magnetic field is more turbulent than previously thought.

By taking coordinated measurements with Hinode's optical, x-ray and ultraviolet instruments, researchers are learning how changes in the Sun's magnetic field release energy that travels into space.

This energy is important as it drives space weather, which affects communications on Earth and can damage satellites and have adverse health consequences for astronauts.

"Hinode images are revealing irrefutable evidence for the presence of turbulence-driven processes that are bringing magnetic fields, on all scales, to the sun's surface, resulting in an extremely dynamic chromosphere or gaseous envelope around the sun," said Alan Title, a corporate senior fellow at Lockheed Martin and consulting professor of physics at Stanford University.

Hinode (Japanese for 'sunrise') was launched on 23 September 2006. The mission is led by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and involves institutes in the United States (coordinated by NASA), and in the United Kingdom (coordinated by PPARC).