New Insights Into the Coronal Heating Mechanism from the SOHO Spacecraft

More information on the sun's magnetic carpet.

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• new data shows that small magnetic field structures form a "magnetic carpet" that covers the entire surface.
• Relationship between the structure of the magnetic carpet and the heating of the solar corona discovered by comparing images of the Sun taken simultaneously by the MDI and EIT instruments on SOHO.
• 10 to 1,000 times more than enough energy to explain the atmospheric heating.
• The image to the right compares theoretical predictions for the structure and heating by the magnetic field using magnetic field data from MDI to the heating observed in the EIT images taken in the Iron line at 19.5 nm. Black and white represent different polarities of the magnetic field. Bright green in the EIT image corresponding to relatively hot regions and dark green corresponding to cool ones.