By Chris Skeldon 
The Sun's magnetic field is generated only 30,000 kilometers below its surface, a discovery that may help us better understand Dynamical processes of a star that it More accurately predict strong solar storms.
A study published in Nature, led by the University of Edinburgh (UK) and with the participation of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA), ran models containing a series of complex calculations on a NASA supercomputer.
The discovery that determines the origin A magnetic field at a depth of 30 thousand kilometers below the surfaceThis contradicts previous theories that suggest the phenomenon has deep origins, starting more than 200,000 kilometers away, Efe news agency reported on Wednesday.
This beginning is very close to the surface of the Earth's star pIt could be the origin of sunspots and flaresWhich is generated internally through a process known as the dynamo process.
Although it is powerful Solar stormslike the one recorded this month, can leave impressive auroras as well Cause damage to satellites, electrical networks, Radiocommunications or positioning systems.
The northern lights color the Portuguese sky
The team created an accurate model of the Sun's surface, and found that when they simulated certain perturbations or changes in the flow of plasma (ionized gas) within the top 5 to 10 percent of the Sun, these surface changes were sufficient to generate realistic field patterns. . Magnetic.
However, simulations that took into account the deep layers of the star resulted in less realistic solar activity.
Over the years, astronomers have made significant progress in understanding the origins of the solar dynamo — the physical process that generates the magnetic field — But there are still limitations.
In this study, the team developed new, sophisticated numerical simulations to model the solar magnetic field that take into account torsional oscillations, a periodic pattern of gas and plasma flow in and around the Sun.
The model also explains how Sunspots track the patterns of the Sun's magnetic activity sun, Another detail missing from the deep origin theory.
With a greater understanding of the solar dynamo, Researchers hope to improve storm forecasts Solar radiation, which can also be aided by the magnetic field generated in the Sun's outer layers.
“We know that the dynamo works like a giant clock with a lot Complex interacting parts“But some of them are still unknown and others are not known how they fit together,” highlighted the lead author of the study, Geoffrey Vassell, from the University of Edinburgh.
He stressed that this new idea is necessary to understand and predict.