Tracking A Record-Breaking Solar Radio Burst By NASA

According to SAEDNEWS, solar radio bursts like this one usually last a few hours to a few days, but this event was different. When the burst ended, it was found that the radio emission lasted 19 days. This is far beyond scientists’ expectations and the previous record for a radio burst, which lasted only five days.

These types of radio bursts, called Type IV bursts, originate from electron traps confined by the Sun’s magnetic fields. Although the radio waves themselves are harmless, the same magnetic environments can generate solar activity that sends dangerous particles toward Earth and affects satellites and spacecraft.

Researchers analyzed data from NASA’s Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO), the Parker Solar Probe, the Wind mission, as well as data from the European Space Agency and NASA’s Solar Orbiter.

Each mission observed the radio burst for several days during the 19-day period, as the Sun’s rotation carried the burst into the view of different spacecraft spread across the inner solar system.

Using data from STEREO, scientists developed a new method to identify the source of the radio burst in a large magnetic feature in the Sun’s atmosphere. They believe that three explosive events known as coronal mass ejections from the same region may have caused this long-lasting event.

These findings help scientists better understand radio bursts and improve predictions about space weather.

The study was published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.