University of Colorado Boulder students help solve enduring question about the sun in new published finding

BOULDER, Colo. (KRDO) – In an impressive scientific feat, students at the University of Colorado Boulder have helped solve scientists’ most burning question about the sun: How does the star’s outermost sphere get so hot? 

Research began at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and a team of physicists recruited roughly 995 undergraduate and graduate students to be involved in the 2-year-long research project.

The students examined the physics of more than 600 real solar flares for an estimated 56,000 hours total and as of Tuesday, May 9, their findings were published in The Astrophysical Journal. 

Students and scientists discovered that solar flares may not be responsible for superheating the sun’s corona–going against a popular theory in previous astrophysics' studies. 

According to previous observations, the sun's corona sizzled at temperatures of millions of degrees Fahrenheit but the surface of the sun, in contrast, showed temperatures that were much cooler, registering only in the thousands of degrees.

Scientists in the past suspected that tiny flares, also known as “nanoflares,” were responsible for heating the sun’s outermost sphere. Studies indicated that they would pop up across the sun constantly and add up and multiply to make the corona warmer. 

According to University officials, the student’s results cast doubt on this theory and while the source of what is making the corona so hot is still up for debate, the new findings show a clear picture: The sum of the sun’s nanoflares likely wouldnt be powerful enough to heat up its corona to millions of degrees Fahrenheit. 

Heather Lewandowski, a professor of physics at the University, stated the research project was a massive effort from everyone involved. She goes on to state that students and staff still hear students talking about the course in the halls. Along with the recent findings, she said students were able to build a community and support each other at a time that was really tough.