A hidden layer deep inside the sun predicts solar storms years before they happen
Deep beneath the solar surface, a thin transition layer called the tachocline acts as an early warning system by revealing the magnetic patterns that trigger massive solar storms years before they reach the surface.
Scientists have discovered that the tachocline, a thin layer located 200,000 kilometers inside the Sun, dictates the timing of solar cycles. By using helioseismology to listen to the Sun's internal acoustic vibrations, researchers tracked plasma bands moving in a 'butterfly pattern' that perfectly mirrors future sunspot activity.
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