Indian scientists detect solar shock waves at record distance
Indian scientists just detected shock waves from a massive solar eruption 130,000km above the Sun's surface—a record distance.
Using the Gauribidanur radio telescope and Aditya-L1's VELC instrument, they caught this high-speed event (1,700km/s) on May 27, 2024.
Breakthrough in understanding solar shocks
This breakthrough is a significant step toward resolving a debate that's lasted nearly 100 years about where these solar shocks actually form.
Prof. R Ramesh called it "this is the closest distance from the Sun at which such a shock and its associated radio burst have been unambiguously detected."
The sunspot behind all this may have been the same region that produced the powerful "Mother's Day" solar storm earlier in May.
Aiming to spot shocks even closer
The active region wasn't just busy on the Sun; such eruptions can disrupt satellites, GPS, and power grids here on Earth—and even put astronauts at risk.
Thanks to these new findings, scientists hope to predict future solar activity better.
Dr. C Kathiravan is aiming to spot shocks even closer during the peak of Solar Cycle 25.