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> The observations could help resolve longstanding mysteries of the sun, including the counterintuitive feature that the corona – the sun’s atmosphere – is heat
by mirimir 7y ago
> The observations could help resolve longstanding mysteries of the sun, including the counterintuitive feature that the corona – the sun’s atmosphere – is heated to millions of degrees when its surface is only 6,000C.
Is that really a "mystery"?
I mean, you can easily create plasma in a microwave oven, and the magnetron doesn't get very hot.
- praptak 7y agoThe magnetron does not produce the energy though. That's what makes the sun case counterintuitive.
- mirimir 7y agoI guess. But consider that the total thermal energy of the Sun is negligible compared to the total energy flux. And that thermal conduction is way too slow, anyway.
- mirimir 7y agoReally, do the math. Take the sun's mass, and multiply by average absolute temperature and the specific heat of hydrogen. That'll be a huge number, but far less than the sun's energy output. You could also compare energy output with what's possible through thermal conduction, based on the sun's radius, its density at various depths, and the heat transfer coefficient of hydrogen.