Sun is weirdly sending out fast waves, which experts have described as a "true mystery."
Researchers from NYU Abu Dhabi's (NYUAD) Center for Space Science found the mysterious swirls, known as high-frequency retrograde (HFR) waves, after studying 25 years of data from the Sun and Earth.
These HFR waves, which travel in the opposite direction of the Sun's spin, are traveling at three times the speed predicted by current theory and might help scientists learn more about stars.
Researchers published the study, "Discovery of high-frequency-retrograde vorticity waves in the Sun," in the journal Nature Astronomy.
Chris Hanson, a research associate at New York University Abu Dhabi, is the primary author.
The imagery was captured by the ‘Full Sun Imager’ (FSI) of the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) on Solar Orbiter. FSI is designed to look at the full solar disc even during close passages of the Sun, such as during the upcoming perihelion passage next month.
Sun's Mysterious Swirls Moving Faster Than Theory Suggests
The waves were discovered by combing through more than 20 years of photos from the ground-based Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG) and 10 years of observations from the space-based Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI).
While the HFR waves resemble the well-known Rossby-Haurwitz waves, they move three times quicker, a pace that cannot be explained by existing Sun models.
Traditional astronomy, such as optical light or x-rays, is used by scientists to study the universe.
However, scientists cannot analyze the insides of the Sun or other stars in this way and must instead look for waves on the surface to learn about the interiors of stars.
According to the researchers, the novel HFR waves might be a useful tool.
In a Vice report, Hanson and his colleagues said that these unique waves flow considerably faster than hydrodynamics alone can account for.
The results implied that new insights into solar dynamics might be gleaned.
Given the strong likeness of these two occurrences, the researchers attempted to explain the HFR waves as boosted versions of Rossby-Haurwitz waves.
Is Gravity Responsible For The Mystery? Probably, Experts Say
The scientists explored if the waves were boosted by interactions with the Sun's powerful forces, such as its magnetic fields, gravity, and compressibility, but these theories fell short.
Scientists want to exploit those waves and others to learn more about the processes at work inside the star.
It might help us understand how the Sun influences the Earth and the other planets in the solar system.
Study co-author Shravan Hanasoge said in an Independent report that the presence of HFR modes and their genesis is a great enigma.
The results, according to Hanasoge, may refer to interesting physics at work and provide insight into the Sun's hitherto inaccessible innards.
Hence, the researchers want to use complicated simulations of the Sun's mysterious interior, which cannot be directly detected with ordinary telescopes, to examine other probable sources of the waves.
Solving this solar riddle might answer a slew of unanswered issues regarding the Sun's structure, spin, and physics-and, by extension, other stars.
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