Deepfake AI Unveils "Shooting Stars" and Solves Sun's Atmospheric Mystery

Solar astronomers using the European Space Agency's Solar Orbiter (SolO) have discovered "shooting stars" on the sun's corona. These meteor-like fireballs occur within the phenomenon known as coronal rain, where clumps of the sun's fiery material condense due to localized temperature drops. SolO's observations have provided the first high-resolution images of the coronal rain clumps and revealed that the falling gas can produce brief, intense brightenings and shock waves. This discovery offers important insights into the composition and thermodynamics of the sun's corona.