For the first time a solar switchback has been directly observed that confirms 2020 models by astrophysicist Dr. Gary Zank at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) that theorized how these surprising structures in the solar wind originate.
Tag: Parker Solar Probe
Solar Winds and Switchbacks–News from the Parker Solar Probe
Frank Sinatra once perfectly captured in song the feeling of the summer winds that came blowing in from across the sea. But solar winds, the constant stream of charged particles emanating from the sun, remain a source of mystery. NASA’s…
New research solves Parker Solar Probe’s solar switchbacks surprise
In newly published research, scientists have for the first time modeled the nature of solar switchbacks – the large and long-duration isolated velocity spikes in the solar wind that surprised researchers when data arrived from the Solar Wind Electrons Alphas and Protons (SWEAP) instruments aboard NASA’s Parker Solar Probe (PSP).
UAH prepares for massive data stream following coming launch of ESA Solar Orbiter
The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) will have a major role in exploring an expected massive data stream that will follow the launch of the European Space Agency (ESA) Solar Orbiter, a mission that will fly over the sun’s poles and on which UAH’s Dr. Gary Zank is a co-primary investigator.
UNH Researchers Find Clues to How Hazardous Space Radiation Begins
University of New Hampshire researchers use data from NASA’s Parker Solar Probe to observe sun’s plasma and energy build up particles released by solar flares – highlight new phase of energizing process leading to radiation hazards.
First Parker Solar Probe scientific papers publish in Nature
The first published science from the Solar Wind Electrons Alphas and Protons (SWEAP) instruments aboard NASA’s Parker Solar Probe (PSP) poses a major challenge to our understanding of the dynamics of the near-sun solar wind.