The results could have significant implications for space weather prediction, particle physics experiments on Earth and our understanding of the sun's atmosphere.
The event was clearly visible when scientists looked at SDO observations of plasma—one of the four fundamental states of matter consisting of superheated, charged particles.
As this happens, the prominence interacts with a collection of magnetic field lines, causing them to reconnect in a distinct"X" shape. This sparked a magnetic explosion causing the prominence to gain heat, according to a study published in the"This was the first observation of an external driver of magnetic reconnection," Abhishek Srivastava, one of the authors of the study from the Indian Institute of Technology , said in a statement.
Forced magnetic reconnection, caused by a prominence from the Sun, was seen for the first time in images from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO. This image shows the Sun on May 3, 2012, with the inset showing a close-up of the reconnection event imaged by SDO's Atmospheric Imaging Assembly instrument, where the signature X-shape is visible.The latest observations confirm a theory that was proposed around 15 years ago.
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