The solar dynamo is a research area focused on understanding the physical mechanisms by which the Sun’s internal plasma motions generate and sustain its large-scale magnetic field. It integrates magnetohydrodynamics, turbulence, rotation, and convection to model the conversion of kinetic energy into magnetic energy via dynamo action, typically involving differential rotation (the Ω-effect) and helical turbulence (the α-effect). Research addresses the solar cycle, polarity reversals, flux-transport processes, and the role of tachocline shear and convection-zone dynamics, using analytical theory, numerical simulations, and helioseismic constraints to test and refine dynamo models.
In the late 1980s, scientists realized they could understand the interior properties of the sun by observing the sound waves that resonate inside it. This technique, called helioseismology, revealed a mysteriously thin dynamical ...
Astronomy
Sep 12, 2025
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Most places on Earth have seasons because our planet is on a tilt as it orbits the sun. But our star also has its own version of seasons that affect life on Earth—and new astronomical research is helping us better understand ...
Astronomy
Sep 10, 2025
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Recreating artificial solar eclipses in space could help astronomers decipher the inner workings of our sun much quicker than if they had to wait for the celestial show on Earth.
Astronomy
Jul 8, 2025
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An international team, led by Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço (IA) researcher Ângela Santos, has made the first measurement of the magnetic field of β Hydri, a nearby aged solar analog subgiant star. This result, ...
Astronomy
Jun 23, 2025
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