Chinese Scientists Unveil Groundbreaking Findings in Solar Atmospheric Rotation

Beijing, The Gulf Observer: Chinese scientists have achieved a significant breakthrough in solar research with the help of their solar exploration satellite, the Chinese H-alpha Solar Explorer (CHASE). This milestone includes the discovery of a new pattern in the rotation of the solar atmosphere.

For the first time, the research team successfully generated a precise three-dimensional representation of solar atmospheric rotation. The groundbreaking findings were published in the prestigious international journal Nature Astronomy on Thursday.

The data that led to this discovery was collected by the CHASE satellite, China’s first solar scientific and technological experimental satellite, which was launched in October 2021. The CHASE satellite, also known by its Chinese name Xihe—after the sun goddess who created the calendar in ancient Chinese mythology—has a design life of three years and maintains a fixed orbit relative to the sun, allowing it to gather continuous data and capture detailed images.

Through an extensive study, researchers produced the world’s first three-dimensional image of solar atmospheric rotation, revealing new secrets about the sun. Contrary to the traditional understanding that atmospheric rotational speed decreases with altitude in a rotating sphere, the team found that the sun’s rotational speed actually increases with higher atmospheric altitude.

“Since the rotational changes caused by viscous effects should gradually decrease from the bottom to the top, there must be a force driving the rotation of the upper atmospheric layers. Therefore, this finding will have significant scientific implications for solar activity and the evolution of the sun,” explained Ding Mingde, principal investigator of the project and a professor at Nanjing University.

The journal Nature Astronomy highlighted that these results hold important implications for understanding the subsurface processes of the sun and its atmospheric dynamics.

The discovery not only enhances the understanding of solar physics but also contributes to the broader field of astrophysics, offering new insights into the behavior of stars and their atmospheres. The CHASE satellite’s successful mission underscores China’s growing capabilities in space exploration and scientific research.