Astro-Image of the Day: NASA spacecraft to study the Sun's transition region

[mckitterick]

The transition region is an area just above the Sun's surface where strong magnetic fields seize affect solar winds and plasmas. It looks a bit like this:

Click the image to see the story.

Next April, we'll get a good - if short - look at this region using SUMI, the Solar Ultraviolet Magnetograph Investigation spacecraft. The transition region is where solar flares and coronal mass ejections are shaped and where the solar wind is accelerated to a million miles per hour.

"It is, in short, the birthplace of space weather."

Chris

Comments

[skyflame.livejournal.com]

Hmmm... I wonder i\f the Univ of Iowa is involved with that. They do a lot of research involving the solar wind.