Solar tadpole-like jets seen with NASA'S IRIS add new clue to age-old mystery
Tuesday, February 19, 2019 - 16:20
in Astronomy & Space
Scientists have discovered tadpole-shaped jets coming out of regions with intense magnetic fields on the Sun. Unlike those living on Earth, these "tadpoles"—formally called pseudo-shocks—are made entirely of plasma, the electrically conducting material made of charged particles that account for an estimated 99 percent of the observable universe. The discovery adds a new clue to one of the longest-standing mysteries in astrophysics.