Magnetic Connection near Sun (IMAGE)

Southwest Research Institute

Magnetic Connection near Sun

Caption

An SwRI-led study identified particles accelerated to extremely high energies by magnetic reconnection near the Sun.  As NASA’s Parker Solar Probe (trajectory shown in green) crossed the heliospheric current sheet, it encountered merging magnetic islands (blues) and protons accelerated toward the Sun, establishing reconnection as their source, distinct from unrelated solar processes.

Credit

JHUAPL

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