Scientists Want To Predict Solar Korona Activities Before Sun Eclipse Occurs

Illustration of the solar corona (photo: dock. NASA)

JAKARTA Scientists will investigate many things when a total solar eclipse occurs. In addition to observing one of the atmospheric layers on Earth, scientists will also observe the movement of the solar corona. The corona, another designation for the solar crown, consists of a long, billowing plasma strand on the surface of the Sun. This strand is limited by a very strong magnetic field so that its strands are rippled and its structure continues to evolve. This thread is difficult to observe because it looks very vague. The only way to observe the corona clearly, even with the naked eye, is to wait for a total solar eclipse to occur on April 8. Before paying attention to the movement of the corona on the day of the solar eclipse, scientists from predictive Science want to research the existing corona data. They use data from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). This study was deliberately carried out so that scientists could predict the appearance and activity of the corona on the day of the eclipse. This prediction is believed to approach the actual results because the SDO's data is always updated. So far, SDO and other solar observatories have provided considerable detailed insights into the corona. However, scientists still lack some information related to the force that drives the crown activity.

Information about the driving force of this corona is indispensable by scientists. According to a statement by one of the researchers, quoted from NASA's blog, this information is needed so that scientists can predict the appearance of the corona exactly. "We don't have a way to accurately measure the magnetic field in the corona," said Predictive Science Research Scientist Emily Mason. "That's one of the things that makes this very challenging.. "Mason also explained that his colleagues used measurements of changes in the Sun's magnetic field to drive the model in real-time. They tried to change the raw data of SDO to show the flux and energy from within the corona. "We developed a suite of software that takes magnetic field maps, selects all areas that must be energized, and then adjust the amount of energy to add to that area," Mason explained.