NASA Spacecraft Studying Sun Discovers New Details about Solar Wind
2023-06-19
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1Scientists say a spacecraft flying very close to the sun has uncovered new details about the nature of solar wind.
2Solar wind is created by a continuous flow of charged particles, known as plasma, that are released into space from the sun's outermost atmosphere.
3That atmosphere is known as the corona.
4Researchers recently announced they had learned new information about solar wind from data collected by the Parker Solar Probe.
5The American space agency NASA operates the spacecraft.
6NASA launched the Parker Solar Probe in 2018 with a main goal of studying solar wind.
7Scientists say studying solar wind and the corona close up is important to learn how solar activity influences Earth.
8Unlike Earth, the sun does not have a solid surface.
9Instead, it is a superheated ball of material held together by gravity and magnetic forces.
10Some solar material escapes from the sun and is released into space as solar wind.
11In 2021, researchers announced that the Parker Solar Probe had entered the sun's corona for the very first time.
12NASA described the successful operation as "touching" the sun.
13Scientists said Parker was about 13 million kilometers from the center of the sun when it crossed into the sun's outer atmosphere.
14Data collected by the spacecraft showed that solar wind can reach speeds up to 1.6 million kilometers per hour.
15Solar wind forms a large magnetic barrier known as the heliosphere.
16It protects Earth and other planets from the continuous flow of high-energy particles from the sun's corona.
17The researchers recently reported their findings in a study published in Nature.
18The team said the collected data suggests these particles get blasted from the sun in a similar way that water shoots out from a shower head.
19The particles are released through holes in the sun's corona.
20The researchers said the data suggests these openings are the source of solar wind.
21Past research had found that the sun's magnetic field was somehow driving solar wind.
22This study is the first to identify its source.
23James Drake is a professor of physics at the University of Maryland and a lead writer of the study.
24He said in a statement, "Winds carry lots of information from the sun to Earth, so understanding the (source) behind the sun's wind is important for practical reasons on Earth."
25Drake said that understanding how the sun releases energy can help scientists learn how to prepare for solar storms that can affect Earth.
26For example, intense solar activity can cause solar flares, explosions of electromagnetic radiation from the sun.
27This can interfere with different radio communication signals on Earth.
28The researchers said the data showed that the holes in the sun's corona are usually in areas around the poles during the sun's quiet periods.
29This prevents the speeding particles from affecting Earth.
30However, the team noted that the sun becomes active every 11 years as its magnetic field changes and the poles exchange positions.
31This results in "bursts of solar wind aimed directly at Earth," the researchers said in a statement.
32The researchers used data from the Parker Solar Probe to examine plasma flowing out of the corona.
33Data for the latest research was collected at a distance of about 9 million kilometers from the sun, the team said.
34"When you get very close to the sun, you start seeing stuff that you just can't see from Earth," Drake said.
35He added that the findings were only possible because the Parker Solar Probe was able to pass so close to the surface of the sun.
36"We're about as close as we're going to get," Drake said.
37I'm Bryan Lynn.
1Scientists say a spacecraft flying very close to the sun has uncovered new details about the nature of solar wind. 2Solar wind is created by a continuous flow of charged particles, known as plasma, that are released into space from the sun's outermost atmosphere. That atmosphere is known as the corona. 3Researchers recently announced they had learned new information about solar wind from data collected by the Parker Solar Probe. The American space agency NASA operates the spacecraft. 4NASA launched the Parker Solar Probe in 2018 with a main goal of studying solar wind. Scientists say studying solar wind and the corona close up is important to learn how solar activity influences Earth. 5Unlike Earth, the sun does not have a solid surface. Instead, it is a superheated ball of material held together by gravity and magnetic forces. Some solar material escapes from the sun and is released into space as solar wind. 6In 2021, researchers announced that the Parker Solar Probe had entered the sun's corona for the very first time. NASA described the successful operation as "touching" the sun. Scientists said Parker was about 13 million kilometers from the center of the sun when it crossed into the sun's outer atmosphere. 7Data collected by the spacecraft showed that solar wind can reach speeds up to 1.6 million kilometers per hour. Solar wind forms a large magnetic barrier known as the heliosphere. It protects Earth and other planets from the continuous flow of high-energy particles from the sun's corona. 8The researchers recently reported their findings in a study published in Nature. 9The team said the collected data suggests these particles get blasted from the sun in a similar way that water shoots out from a shower head. The particles are released through holes in the sun's corona. The researchers said the data suggests these openings are the source of solar wind. 10Past research had found that the sun's magnetic field was somehow driving solar wind. This study is the first to identify its source. 11James Drake is a professor of physics at the University of Maryland and a lead writer of the study. He said in a statement, "Winds carry lots of information from the sun to Earth, so understanding the (source) behind the sun's wind is important for practical reasons on Earth." 12Drake said that understanding how the sun releases energy can help scientists learn how to prepare for solar storms that can affect Earth. For example, intense solar activity can cause solar flares, explosions of electromagnetic radiation from the sun. This can interfere with different radio communication signals on Earth. 13The researchers said the data showed that the holes in the sun's corona are usually in areas around the poles during the sun's quiet periods. This prevents the speeding particles from affecting Earth. 14However, the team noted that the sun becomes active every 11 years as its magnetic field changes and the poles exchange positions. This results in "bursts of solar wind aimed directly at Earth," the researchers said in a statement. 15The researchers used data from the Parker Solar Probe to examine plasma flowing out of the corona. Data for the latest research was collected at a distance of about 9 million kilometers from the sun, the team said. 16"When you get very close to the sun, you start seeing stuff that you just can't see from Earth," Drake said. He added that the findings were only possible because the Parker Solar Probe was able to pass so close to the surface of the sun. "We're about as close as we're going to get," Drake said. 17I'm Bryan Lynn. 18Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Maryland and Nature. 19________________________________________________________________ 20Words in This Story 21blast - v. an explosion or violent detonation 22shower - n. a piece of equipment that shoots out water and is used to clean the body 23source - n. where something comes from 24practical - adj. able to be done successfully 25____________________________________________________________________ 26What do you think of this story? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 27Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.