An international research team led by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan has used the Sunrise-III solar observatory to identify complex magnetic structures in regions of the Sun that appear relatively inactive from a distance. The observatory, which operated from the Earth’s stratosphere during a 2024 mission, detected numerous thin, thread-like magnetic features woven into a larger network known as the magnetic canopy that extends through the chromosphere, a layer of the solar atmosphere above the Sun’s visible surface.
Scientists had previously found it difficult to study these quiet regions of the Sun due to their subtle magnetic fields and the limitations of ground-based observation, where atmospheric turbulence obscures fine details. By positioning its 1-meter telescope approximately 35 kilometers above Earth, Sunrise-III was able to capture detailed measurements of magnetic field structures that would otherwise remain hidden. The research team used computer simulations to investigate how these intricate patterns form, finding that movements on the solar surface twist magnetic field lines to create the observed structures higher in the atmosphere.
One of the key instruments aboard Sunrise-III was SCIP (Sunrise Chromospheric Infrared spectroPolarimeter), developed under NAOJ’s leadership. This near-infrared tool measured magnetic fields across different layers of the solar atmosphere, allowing researchers to examine how magnetic structures extend and change with altitude rather than studying only isolated layers. The observations also tracked magnetic fields within spicules, narrow jets of solar material that extend upward from the surface near the Sun’s visible edge.
The findings demonstrate that even the Sun’s seemingly calm regions contain elaborate magnetic structures, offering important clues to understanding how energy generated by surface motions is transferred into higher atmospheric layers. This discovery represents progress toward explaining how magnetic activity contributes to heating the Sun’s atmosphere, including in regions that appear inactive when viewed from Earth.
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