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Scientists predicted how the solar corona will look like during Solar Eclipse

Last Updated 21 August 2017, 11:20 IST
A day before the Great American Eclipse is set to sweep the USA, Indian scientists have predicted how the solar corona – the mysterious outer region of the Sun - would look like during the total solar eclipse.
 
Their predictions show lotus petal-like shapes extending from the surface in some parts of the Sun's corona, while in other parts, magnetic field lines fan out like spokes of a wheel.
 
The total solar eclipse of Aug 21, 2017, will last over the US landmass for nearly 90 minutes, giving scientists an unprecedented opportunity to make scientific measurements from the ground.
 
NASA is supporting 11 ground-based science investigations, six focusing on the Sun's corona.
 
But days before the celestial spectacle, an Indo-UK team of researchers predicted the expected looks of the solar corona that will be visible during the eclipse. Normally the solar corona is not visible as it is fainter than the disk.
 
The Indo-UK researchers, led by solar physicist Dibyendu Nandi from the Centre of Excellence in Space Sciences India at the Indian Institute of Science, Education and Research (IISER), Kolkata is one of the two research groups that made a forecast on the solar corona pattern. This is for the first time the IISER team predicted the shape of the corona.
 
The other agency is a US-based company named Predictive Sciences that is researching on solar corona for the last five years.
 
The Indian model used sun spot data up to August 16. The scientists ran the model until August 21 before the prediction.
 
The total solar eclipse will provide them with an opportunity to test and refine the model that may come handy during the Indian Space Research Organisation's Aditya mission in the future.
 
Research on solar corona may aid the scientists to characterise the Corona's complex magnetic field -- crucial information for understanding and eventually helping to forecast space weather events like the solar storm.
 
Since solar storms can threaten the satellites, telecommunication and GPS networks and can even bring down the electric power grids, it is important to prepare for the adverse space weather through prior predictions of such solar storms from studies on the corona.
 
The Indian study and modelling that aims to predict the Sun's coronal structure is important as it can provide new leads on solar storm predictions. The prediction from the US group is little different.
 
“Accurate prediction of solar storms is important for the satellites. The corona needs to be understood first for the prediction. Some parts of the prediction may turn out to be correct, but a comparison with the total solar eclipse may provide both the groups with clues on how to improve their models,” said Niruj Ramanujam, chair, public outreach and education committee, Astronomical Society of India.
 

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(Published 21 August 2017, 11:20 IST)

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