Our Sun is a violent object, regularly erupting material into space and occasionally into the path of the Earth, but understanding why these dramatic events take place remains a hot topic in solar physics. Dr Vasilis Archontis of the University of St Andrews thinks that clouds of plasma bound by the Sun’s magnetic field could hold the answer.

Active regions on the solar surface are a result of magnetic fields rising from the solar interior and gradually expanding into Sun’s outer atmosphere, the corona, in a process known as magnetic flux emergence. Archontis and colleagues modelled this process using three dimensional computer simulations and found that as magnetic field lines draw closer to each other due to the motion of plasma in the Sun’s lower atmosphere, they “reconnect” and build a new magnetic flux system, called a plasmoid. But whether these expanding 70-80,000 kilometre wide pods of dense, cool plasma erupt into space or not depends on the level of interaction between the new emerging field and the old, pre-existing magnetic field in the corona.

When the new field expands into the corona it forms a magnetic sheath with loops of field lines anchored to the solar surface, trapping the plasmoids.

“It’s like the plasmoid is in jail, and it can’t escape,” says Archontis, who explains that the plasmoids will remain trapped and even fade away if the protective sheath is not removed by a process such as reconnection – where other field lines in the vicinity snap open the established field lines to let the plasma escape. “At the same time, reconnection occurs underneath the plasmoid, which helps push it out “like a piston”, accelerating it up out through the corona at speeds of around 500 kilometres per second.”

Archontis says that the runaway plasmoid could easily be detected by orbiting solar spacecraft such as STEREO, Hinode or SDO, by the fact that it originates in the cool lower atmosphere – it would look like a dark bubble rising through the solar atmosphere. He also speculates that the ejection of plasmoids could even be precursors to larger events such as CMEs, but he needs larger computing capabilities in order to test this idea, and to see how the plasmoids develop over larger scales.

This special publication features the photography of British astro-imager Nik Szymanek and covers a range of photographic methods from basic to advanced. Beautiful pictures of the night sky can be obtained with a simple camera and tripod before tackling more difficult projects, such as guided astrophotography through the telescope and CCD imaging.
 U.K. STORE
 E.U. STORE
 U.S. & WORLDWIDE STORE

Hubble Reborn
Hubble Reborn takes the reader on a journey through the Universe with spectacular full-colour pictures of galaxies, nebulae, planets and stars as seen through Hubble's eyes, along the way telling the dramatic story of the space telescope, including interviews with key scientists and astronauts.
 U.K. STORE
 E.U. STORE
 U.S. & WORLDWIDE STORE

The Planets
From tiny Mercury to distant Neptune and Pluto, The Planets profiles each of the Solar System's members in depth, featuring the latest imagery from space missions. The tallest mountains, the deepest canyons, the strongest winds, raging atmospheric storms, terrain studded with craters and vast worlds of ice are just some of the sights you'll see on this 100-page tour of the planets.
 U.K. STORE
 E.U. STORE
 U.S. & WORLDWIDE STORE

3D Universe
Witness the most awesome sights of the Universe as they were meant to be seen in this 100-page extravaganza of planets, galaxies and star-scapes, all in 3D!
 U.K. STORE
 E.U. STORE
 U.S. & WORLDWIDE STORE

This new poster features some of the best pictures from NASA's amazing Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity.
 U.K. STORE
 E.U. STORE
 U.S. & WORLDWIDE STORE