The CLASP2 space experiment achieves an unprecedented map of the Sun’s magnetic field from the photosphere up to the base of the corona

Every day space telescopes provide spectacular images of the solar activity. However, their instruments are blind to its main driver: the magnetic field in the outer layers of the solar atmosphere, where the explosive events that occasionally affect the Earth occur. The extraordinary observations of the polarization of the Sun’s ultraviolet light achieved by the CLASP2 mission have made it possible to map the magnetic field throughout the entire solar atmosphere, from the photosphere until the base of the extremely hot corona. This investigation, published today in the journal Science Advances, has been carried out by the international team responsible for this suborbital experiment, which includes several scientists of the POLMAG group of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC).

More information: http://www.iac.es/en/outreach/news/clasp2-space-experiment-achieves-unp…

Contact at the IAC: Javier Trujillo Bueno (jtb [at] iac.es (jtb[at]iac[dot]es))