Get the key points on this solar shocker of a story, with our 1-minute read:
- Surprising discovery: Researchers at the U.S. National Solar Observatory have discover our Sun’s magnetic field may be twice as strong as previously measured
- Instrument limitation: Finding stems from a computer simulation-based calibration of the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) aboard NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, showing HMI underestimates true magnetism
- Testing method: In the simulation, the team started with a known magnetic field, modelled sunlight passing through space, and then recreated what HMI should really 'see', revealing a missing signal
- Corrected results: After correction, the simulated magnetograms show solar field strengths roughly double those HMI currently detects.
- Why it matters: The Sun’s magnetic field drives solar storms, like flares and coronal mass ejections, that can disrupt satellites, GPS, communications and power grids
- Wider impact: The research team says their calibration method could also be applied to other solar observatories, including ground‑based networks like GONG
- Forecast shift: If the Sun’s magnetic field is indeed twice as strong, scientists need to rethink solar‑storm models and space weather predictions, with wide implications for astronauts, spacecraft and infrastructure on Earth
- Future potential: The simulation framework offers a new way to adjust historical datasets, potentially improving long‑term understanding of solar magnetism
Get all the facts in our full report on this story, Scientists may have massively underestimated how powerful our Sun is, and how it affects life on Earth
