NJIT Astronomers Uncover an Aurora-like Display Above a Sunspot

Posted by Guy Pirro | 05/17/2024 09:47PM | Comments

Astronomers from New Jersey Institute of Technology’s Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research (NJIT-CSTR) have detailed radio observations of an extraordinary aurora-like display occurring 40,000 km above a relatively dark and cold sunspot on our Sun. The researchers say the novel radio emission shares characteristics with the auroral radio emissions commonly seen in planetary magnetospheres such as those around Earth. The discovery offers new insights into the origin of such intense solar radio bursts and potentially opens new avenues for understanding similar phenomena in distant stars with large “starspots.”