Scientists Detect Magnetic Waves That Could Explain the Sun’s Mysteriously Hot Atmosphere

For decades, scientists have puzzled over why the Sun’s outer atmosphere — the corona — is millions of degrees hotter than its surface. Now, researchers believe they’ve found the answer.

Using the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) in Hawaii, the world’s most powerful solar observatory, scientists have detected elusive magnetic waves in the Sun’s atmosphere that may finally explain this long-standing cosmic mystery.

Published in Nature Astronomy, the study reveals the presence of Alfvén waves — twisting magnetic waves capable of carrying vast amounts of energy from the Sun’s surface into its corona. These waves could account for at least half of the corona’s extreme heat, according to Dr. Richard Morton, solar physicist at Northumbria University, who led the research.

First theorized in 1942, Alfvén waves had never been directly observed before. Thanks to DKIST’s Cryogenic Near Infrared Spectropolarimeter, researchers captured unprecedented details of the Sun’s magnetic field, confirming that these waves play a critical role in heating the outer atmosphere.

The study also found that magnetic reconnection — the snapping and rejoining of magnetic field lines — works alongside Alfvén waves to superheat the corona.

Scientists say the discovery could reshape understanding of solar physics, improve space weather prediction, and shed light on stellar energy processes across the universe.