This mysterious phenomenon is similar to the aurora borealis. It was observed 40,000 kilometers above the star’s surface.

A strange glow appeared above the dark, cold sunspot. It was studied by astronomers at the New Jersey Institute of Technology’s Center for Solar and Terrestrial Research (NJIT-CSTR0). This phenomenon has characteristics in common with auroral radio emission. It is typically observed in the planetary magnetospheres of Earth, Jupiter, and Saturn. It also occurs in some low-mass stars. “We discovered a special type of long-lasting polarized radio burst that originates from sunspots and lasts for more than a week,” said study author Shiji Yu.

Experts say what was witnessed does not resemble a typical short-lived solar radio burst. These often last from minutes to hours. “This exciting discovery has the potential to change our understanding of magnetic processes in stars,” say the astronomers. Unlike auroras on Earth, “auroral emissions” occur on sunspots at frequencies ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions of kHz. They occur where the magnetic field on the star’s surface is particularly strong. “Studying signals from our sun will allow us to better interpret the powerful radiation from M dwarfs, the most common type of star in the universe, and provide fundamental connections between astrophysical phenomena. ” concludes NJIT professor Dale Gary. C.S.T.R.

source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-023-02122-6