New research published in the journal Science has found that the Sun may be "more spirited" than scientists have previously thought, according to Phys.org. The researchers used data from NASA's IRIS (Interface Region Imaging Spectograph) telescope to reach their conclusion that the Sun may have "short-lived heat pockets" in its cooler layer.
Scientists have previously studied solar eruptions in the Sun's outer atmosphere, but the new study is the first evidence of explosions in the layer beneath the outer atmosphere. The magnetic energy in the Sun's cooler layer "builds up and discharges within only a few minutes" — but in that short time, the eruptions can be as hot as 100,000 degrees.
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