NJIT astronomers reveal unique aurora-like radio emission above sunspot

NJIT astronomers reveal unique aurora-like radio emission above sunspot

In a groundbreaking study published in Nature Astronomy, researchers from the New Jersey Institute of Technology’s Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research (NJIT-CSTR) have documented an extraordinary aurora-like radio emission occurring approximately 40 000 km (25 000 miles) above a sunspot. This novel radio emission, which shows characteristics akin to the auroral emissions observed around planets like Earth, Jupiter, and Saturn, presents an unprecedented understanding of solar radio bursts and their potential link to similar phenomena in stars with large starspots.

Solar tsunami and dark fireworks on the Sun

Solar tsunami and dark fireworks on the Sun

On June 7, 2011, Earth-orbiting satellites detected a flash of X-rays coming from the western edge of the solar disk. Registering only “M” (for medium) on the Richter scale of solar flares, the blast at first appeared to be a run-of-the-mill eruption- that is, until