'Campfires' offer clue to solar heating mystery
Published Date: 4/27/2021
Source: phys.org
Computer simulations show that the miniature solar flares nicknamed 'campfires," discovered last year by ESA's Solar Orbiter, are likely driven by a process that may contribute significantly to the heating of the sun's outer atmosphere, or corona. If confirmed by further observations this adds a key piece to the puzzle of what heats the solar corona—one of the biggest mysteries in solar physics.