Unraveling the Sun's Mystery with Magnetic Heat Waves

Scientists have long been puzzled by the fact that the solar corona, the atmosphere of the Sun, is about 200 times hotter than its surface. A new study proposes that high-frequency magnetic waves could be responsible for heating up the corona. Recent observations have shown that transverse oscillations in the smallest magnetic structures in the corona could play a key role in delivering the necessary energy. The research, conducted using data from the Solar Orbiter and other solar observatories, suggests that these fast oscillations contribute enough energy to explain the heating in the corona. Further investigations are underway to discover higher-frequency magnetic waves and solve this long-standing mystery.