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Scientists Discover Way to Send Information into Black Holes Without Using Energy

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Scientists Predicted the Sun’s Hidden Atmosphere Before a Total Eclipse — And They Were Surprisingly Accurate

The total solar eclipse on 21 August 2017 was much more than a beautiful event that attracted millions of skywatchers across the United States. For scientists, it became a rare natural experiment — a chance to test whether computers could accurately predict what the Sun’s mysterious outer atmosphere, called the corona, would look like before anyone actually saw it.

A team led by researcher Mikic developed a new and improved model of the Sun's corona and made a bold prediction one week before the eclipse happened. After the eclipse occurred, they compared their predictions with real observations. The results showed that the model performed remarkably well and also revealed areas where our understanding of the Sun still needs improvement.

This work could help scientists make better space weather forecasts in the future, protecting satellites, communication systems, and power grids on Earth.

 

Why Solar Eclipses Matter to Scientists

Normally, the Sun's bright surface is so intense that it completely hides the corona. The corona is the outermost layer of the Sun’s atmosphere and stretches millions of kilometers into space. Although it is much hotter than the Sun's surface, scientists still do not fully understand all the processes that create its structure and temperature.

During a total solar eclipse, however, the Moon temporarily blocks the bright face of the Sun. This reveals the corona as a glowing white halo surrounding the darkened Sun.

For a few minutes, scientists can observe details that are normally hidden, including long glowing streamers, thin rays, and other structures shaped by magnetic forces.

Because eclipses provide such a unique view, they also serve as an excellent way to test scientific predictions.

Building a Virtual Sun

The research team wanted to create a realistic computer simulation of the Sun’s corona before the eclipse took place.

Their model was based on magnetohydrodynamics, often shortened to MHD. This branch of physics studies how electrically charged gases, called plasma, interact with magnetic fields.

The Sun is made mostly of plasma, and magnetic fields strongly influence how solar material moves and behaves.

To create their simulation, researchers used actual measurements of the Sun’s magnetic field. These measurements were collected from observations of the Sun before the eclipse.

However, the team also added two important improvements that made this new model different from earlier versions.

The Role of Alfvén Waves

One major improvement involved using a new heating model based on something called Alfvén waves.

These waves are named after physicist Hannes Alfvén, who proposed that magnetic waves could move through plasma.

Imagine shaking one end of a rope and watching waves travel to the other end. A similar process can happen in the Sun’s magnetic field. Disturbances can travel through the Sun’s plasma like waves moving through a stretched string.

Scientists believe these waves carry energy from the Sun’s lower atmosphere into the corona.

As the waves move, they eventually lose energy through a process called dissipation. That released energy heats the corona.

The exact reason the corona becomes extremely hot has puzzled scientists for decades, so including Alfvén wave heating helped make the simulation more realistic.

Twisting the Sun’s Magnetic Fields

The second improvement involved adding a new mechanism that twists magnetic fields inside regions known as filament channels.

Filament channels are areas where long structures of cooler solar material can form. These regions often become the birthplaces of large solar events.

Magnetic twisting is important because the Sun’s magnetic field is not simple or smooth. The Sun rotates and moves constantly, causing its magnetic lines to become stretched, tangled, and twisted over time.

Adding this behavior made the model closer to what actually happens on the Sun.

Making a Prediction Before the Eclipse

One of the most impressive parts of the research is that the prediction was made before the eclipse happened.

The researchers did not first observe the eclipse and then adjust their model afterward. Instead, they used available magnetic field measurements and generated a prediction approximately one week ahead of time.

This created a true test of the model.

When the eclipse occurred, scientists compared the prediction with observations collected in two ways:

  • White light images taken during the eclipse

  • Extreme ultraviolet observations that reveal hot solar material

The comparison showed that many of the major structures matched surprisingly well.

Features the Model Successfully Predicted

The simulation reproduced several important features of the corona.

Streamers

Streamers are large bright structures extending outward from the Sun. They often appear like long glowing ribbons during eclipses.

The model accurately reproduced many of these structures.

Coronal Holes

Coronal holes are darker regions where magnetic field lines extend outward into space rather than looping back toward the Sun.

These areas are important because they can release high-speed solar wind streams.

Prominences

Prominences are huge arcs or loops of cooler material held above the Sun's surface by magnetic fields.

The model showed a strong connection between these structures and the underlying magnetic field.

Polar Plumes and Thin Rays

The simulation also reproduced delicate features such as polar plumes and narrow rays extending from the Sun.

These smaller details provided additional confidence that the model was capturing real solar behavior.

Understanding the Sun Through Magnetism

One important result of the study was showing how closely the corona's visible structures are linked to magnetic fields.

Many of the beautiful shapes seen during eclipses are not random. They are controlled by invisible magnetic forces shaping the movement of hot plasma.

By understanding magnetic fields better, scientists gain a clearer picture of how the Sun behaves.

This matters because magnetic activity on the Sun can affect Earth.

Large solar eruptions can send energetic particles and magnetic disturbances into space, potentially disrupting:

  • Satellite systems

  • GPS signals

  • Radio communication

  • Astronaut safety

  • Electrical power grids

These events are often called space weather.

Why the Model Was Not Perfect

Even though the predictions worked well, the model was not flawless.

Some differences appeared between the predicted corona and the actual observations.

Interestingly, researchers found that many of these errors did not come from the physics itself. Instead, they mostly came from limitations in measuring the Sun’s magnetic field.

Observing the Sun’s complete magnetic environment is difficult. Scientists can only directly measure certain regions from Earth or spacecraft positions.

Parts of the Sun may remain hidden from view, making it harder to build a complete picture.

Even small missing details can affect predictions because the corona is extremely sensitive to magnetic conditions.

A Step Toward Better Space Weather Forecasting

This research represents more than an eclipse study.

It demonstrates that scientists are becoming increasingly capable of predicting the complex structure of the Sun’s atmosphere before events happen.

As solar observations improve and models become more advanced, forecasting space weather may eventually become as routine as forecasting storms on Earth.

Future predictions could become more accurate and more useful for protecting technology and infrastructure.

The 2017 total solar eclipse offered a spectacular view for the public, but for scientists it provided something equally valuable — proof that we are beginning to understand the invisible magnetic engine shaping our nearest star.

Reference: Mikić, Z., Downs, C., Linker, J.A. et al. Predicting the corona for the 21 August 2017 total solar eclipse. Nat Astron 2, 913–921 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-018-0562-5

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