The surface of the Sun
is a very cold place. When compare it with the crown, the upper atmosphere of
the Sun, which is almost 400 times hotter. This large temperature difference has
long been a mystery, but a newly discovered feature in the Sun's magnetic field
could help us get to the bottom of it.
The Sun's magnetic
field tangled includes huge loops forming an arc from the surface to the crown.
We can see the bright loops because the surface plasma flows along its curves.
