There is so much that we simply do not know about our sun, even though it is the key driver of our climate. From Science Alert:
Giant Waves That Drive Weather on Earth Have Just Been Found Rippling Across Our Sun
Researchers have found evidence that the same giant, magnetized waves that ripple through Earth's atmosphere might also exist on our Sun.
These waves are known as Rossby or planetary waves, and they usually occur way above Earth's surface, influencing weather patterns and the jet stream winds. But this is the first time the waves have been spotted on the Sun - and in this case, they're planet-sized.
The discovery could explain why solar activity such as solar storms and flares are so hard for us to predict - something that could become an issue in future if a powerful solar flare is directed straight at Earth.
"The discovery of magnetized Rossby waves on the Sun offers the tantalizing possibility that we can predict space weather much further in advance," said lead researcher Scott McIntosh, from the US National Center of Atmospheric Research.
On Earth, Rossby waves occur both in the atmosphere and in the oceans, and they form in rotating fluids. In the atmosphere, these waves affect the path of the jet stream winds and the formation of low- and high-pressure systems, which affect the weather we experience on the ground.
In the ocean, a huge Rossby wave have been spotted travelling westward around the planet, and is responsible for a strange humming sound coming from the Caribbean sea.
Considering that the Sun is rotating, and is largely made up of plasma that acts like a vast, magnetized ocean, it was suspected that Rossby-type waves might also form on our host star. But this is the first time researchers have ever been able to detect them.
Very cool - the full paper can be found here at Nature/Astronomy: The detection of Rossby-like waves on the Sun
I wonder if this is tied at all to the magnetic field variations observed by Professor Valentina Zharkova of Northumbria University here and here. Paper here.
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