{"id":19335,"date":"2024-09-25T20:04:56","date_gmt":"2024-09-25T14:34:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en\/?p=19335"},"modified":"2024-09-25T20:04:56","modified_gmt":"2024-09-25T14:34:56","slug":"astronomers-map-the-differential-rotation-of-the-suns-chromosphere-using-100-years-of-kodaikanal-data","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en\/2024\/09\/25\/astronomers-map-the-differential-rotation-of-the-suns-chromosphere-using-100-years-of-kodaikanal-data\/","title":{"rendered":"Astronomers map the Differential Rotation of the Sun\u2019s Chromosphere using 100 Years of Kodaikanal Data"},"content":{"rendered":"

Using 100 years daily records of the Sun at the Kodaikanal Solar Observatory, astronomers have succeeded in mapping, for the very first time, the variation in the rotation speed of the Sun\u2019s chromosphere, from the equator right up to its polar regions. The research can help give a complete picture of the Sun’s inner workings.<\/p>\n

Earth spins like a rigid ball, completing a full rotation every 24 hours. This rotation is the same everywhere on Earth, from bustling Bangalore to the icy plains of Antarctica. The Sun, however, has a completely different story to tell. Being a giant ball of plasma,\u00a0different parts of the Sun rotate at different speeds, depending on their latitude. It has been known for a long time that the Sun’s equator spins much faster than its poles. It takes the equatorial region only about 25 days to complete one rotation, while the poles take a leisurely 35 days. This difference in rotation\u00a0speed\u00a0is called differential rotation.\u00a0Understanding the intricacies of the variation in rotation speed, as a function of latitude as well as time, is crucial to understand the Sun itself. This is because the interaction of differential rotation with the Sun\u2019s magnetic field is what is behind the solar dynamo, the 11-year solar cycle, and its periods of intense activity that even produce magnetic storms on Earth.<\/p>\n

The discovery of differential rotation dates back to Carrington in the 19th century, who observed that sunspots on the visible surface of the Sun rotated at different speeds depending on their latitude. However, sunspots do not appear at latitudes higher than about 35 degrees north or south of the solar equator, and other methods had to be used to measure differential rotation closer to the polar latitudes. These either relied on spectrographs which are not easy to use for this particular purpose, or had to wait for those rare sunspots that occurred occasionally at higher latitudes. These methods are unsuited to confirm reports how the differential rotation itself varies with time over a solar cycle, etc.<\/p>\n

Astronomers from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), an autonomous institute of DST, used solar plages and networks from daily records of the Sun stretching over 100 years, maintained by the Kodaikanal Solar Observatory, operated by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics. \u00a0The observatory celebrates its 125th anniversary this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Kodaikanal Solar Observatory is just one of two such places in the entire world with such long-term data\u201d, said Muthu Priyal, a co-author of the study, working at IIA.\u00a0 \u201cWe hit on the idea of using solar plages and networks to measure rotation speeds. Images captured at the specific wavelength of 393.3 nanometers (due to the Calcium K spectral line) showcase the lower and middle chromosphere and display prominent features like plages (bright regions) and network cells (convective structures)\u201d, she added.<\/p>\n

Plages, unlike sunspots, are brighter regions with weaker magnetic fields. They reside in the chromosphere, and are significantly larger than sunspots, ranging from 3 to 10 times the size of sunspots. Network features, on the other hand, are embedded with weaker magnetic fields and are about 30,000 km across \u2013 slightly larger than individual sunspots but smaller than sunspot groups. Unlike sunspots, both plages and networks are continuously present across the Sun’s surface throughout the solar cycle, allowing the scientists to probe the rotation rate even at the poles.<\/p>\n

The Observatory had meticulously documented the chromosphere using photographic plates and films and this invaluable data has recently been digitized using a large-format CCD camera, making it accessible to researchers worldwide. \u201cWe decided to use this treasure trove of information and meticulously extracted data on plages and network features from the images. These features were then categorized based on their location within 10-degree latitude bands across both the Sun’s northern and southern hemispheres\u201d, said Prof Jagdev Singh of IIA, and a co-author of the paper.<\/p>\n

By analyzing this data, the team was able to extract the rotation period of these features at various latitudes. This revealed a clear picture of the Sun’s differential rotation \u2013 faster at the equator (13.98 degrees per day) and slower towards the poles (10.5 degrees per day at 80 degrees latitude). Intriguingly, both plages and network features displayed remarkably similar rotation rates. This suggests a potential shared origin of\u00a0both plages and networks, possibly rooted deep within the Sun’s interior below the photosphere (the visible surface).<\/p>\n

Said Prof. B. Ravindra of IIA, \u201cThis work signifies the first-time scientists have successfully utilized chromospheric network cells to map the Sun’s rotation from equator to pole. Understanding the Sun’s differential rotation is crucial for comprehending its magnetic field and activity. This research using chromospheric features paves the way for a more complete picture of the Sun’s inner workings\u201d.<\/p>\n

This paper was published in the Astrophysical Journal, titled \u201cEquator to Pole Solar Chromospheric Differential Rotation Using Ca-K Features Derived from Kodaikanal Data\u201d, and was authored by Kharayat, Hema (Indian Institute of Astrophysics and\u00a0M.L.K.P.G. College, Balrampur) and\u00a0Singh, Jagdev, Priyal, Muthu and Ravindra, B. from Indian Institute of Astrophysics.<\/p>\n

Reference The Astrophysical Journal, 968:53 (9pp), 2024 June 20<\/p>\n

Article link:\u00a0https:\/\/automatedtest.iopscience.iop.org\/article\/10.3847\/1538-4357\/ad4992<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Figure:\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>This schematic illustrates the Sun’s differential rotation, where surface regions at various latitudes rotate at different speeds.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

<\/p>\n

Figure:<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Calcium-K spectroheliogram of the Sun, captured at the Kodaikanal Solar Observatory on April 11, 1936. The image highlights the chromosphere, showcasing plages (bright regions) and networks (web-like features) associated with the Sun’s magnetic activity.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Figure:\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>This figure depicts the Sun’s differential rotation, where different latitudes rotate at varying speeds. The data points (shown in different colors) represent rotation rates measured using features like plages and different types of network regions in the Sun’s chromosphere.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Using 100 years daily records of the Sun at the Kodaikanal Solar Observatory, astronomers have succeeded in mapping, for the very first time, the variation in the rotation speed of the Sun\u2019s chromosphere, from the equator right up to its polar regions. The research can help give a complete picture of the Sun’s inner workings. …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[136],"tags":[15300,15298,15301,15302,15299],"class_list":["post-19335","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","","category-national","tag-astronomers","tag-differential-rotation","tag-kodaikanal-observatory","tag-solar-dynamics","tag-suns-chromosphere"],"yoast_head":"\nAstronomers map the Differential Rotation of the Sun\u2019s Chromosphere using 100 Years of Kodaikanal Data - Matribhumi Samachar English<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Astronomers have utilized 100 years of data from Kodaikanal Observatory to map the differential rotation of the Sun\u2019s chromosphere. This groundbreaking research enhances our understanding of solar dynamics and its impact on space weather.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en\/2024\/09\/25\/astronomers-map-the-differential-rotation-of-the-suns-chromosphere-using-100-years-of-kodaikanal-data\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Astronomers map the Differential Rotation of the Sun\u2019s Chromosphere using 100 Years of Kodaikanal Data - Matribhumi Samachar English\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Astronomers have utilized 100 years of data from Kodaikanal Observatory to map the differential rotation of the Sun\u2019s chromosphere. This groundbreaking research enhances our understanding of solar dynamics and its impact on space weather.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en\/2024\/09\/25\/astronomers-map-the-differential-rotation-of-the-suns-chromosphere-using-100-years-of-kodaikanal-data\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Matribhumi Samachar English\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-09-25T14:34:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.pib.gov.in\/WriteReadData\/userfiles\/image\/image001YN7X.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Saransh Kanaujia\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Saransh Kanaujia\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en\/2024\/09\/25\/astronomers-map-the-differential-rotation-of-the-suns-chromosphere-using-100-years-of-kodaikanal-data\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en\/2024\/09\/25\/astronomers-map-the-differential-rotation-of-the-suns-chromosphere-using-100-years-of-kodaikanal-data\/\",\"name\":\"Astronomers map the Differential Rotation of the Sun\u2019s Chromosphere using 100 Years of Kodaikanal Data - Matribhumi Samachar English\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2024-09-25T14:34:56+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-09-25T14:34:56+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/0a61403f4baf9627e92218b53a1e65f1\"},\"description\":\"Astronomers have utilized 100 years of data from Kodaikanal Observatory to map the differential rotation of the Sun\u2019s chromosphere. This groundbreaking research enhances our understanding of solar dynamics and its impact on space weather.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en\/2024\/09\/25\/astronomers-map-the-differential-rotation-of-the-suns-chromosphere-using-100-years-of-kodaikanal-data\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en\/2024\/09\/25\/astronomers-map-the-differential-rotation-of-the-suns-chromosphere-using-100-years-of-kodaikanal-data\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en\/2024\/09\/25\/astronomers-map-the-differential-rotation-of-the-suns-chromosphere-using-100-years-of-kodaikanal-data\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Astronomers map the Differential Rotation of the Sun\u2019s Chromosphere using 100 Years of Kodaikanal Data\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en\/\",\"name\":\"Matribhumi Samachar English\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/0a61403f4baf9627e92218b53a1e65f1\",\"name\":\"Saransh Kanaujia\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/45a8b03a1b1bb8255014f5e62f9cfea0eb8a9f7a6a604f9879038df08da23cea?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/45a8b03a1b1bb8255014f5e62f9cfea0eb8a9f7a6a604f9879038df08da23cea?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Saransh Kanaujia\"},\"description\":\"Saransh Kanaujia is currently editor of Matribhumi Samachar Group. He earlier worked with Hindusthan Samachar News Agency. He is also associated with many organizations.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en\/author\/matribhumisamachar\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Astronomers map the Differential Rotation of the Sun\u2019s Chromosphere using 100 Years of Kodaikanal Data - Matribhumi Samachar English","description":"Astronomers have utilized 100 years of data from Kodaikanal Observatory to map the differential rotation of the Sun\u2019s chromosphere. This groundbreaking research enhances our understanding of solar dynamics and its impact on space weather.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en\/2024\/09\/25\/astronomers-map-the-differential-rotation-of-the-suns-chromosphere-using-100-years-of-kodaikanal-data\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Astronomers map the Differential Rotation of the Sun\u2019s Chromosphere using 100 Years of Kodaikanal Data - Matribhumi Samachar English","og_description":"Astronomers have utilized 100 years of data from Kodaikanal Observatory to map the differential rotation of the Sun\u2019s chromosphere. This groundbreaking research enhances our understanding of solar dynamics and its impact on space weather.","og_url":"https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en\/2024\/09\/25\/astronomers-map-the-differential-rotation-of-the-suns-chromosphere-using-100-years-of-kodaikanal-data\/","og_site_name":"Matribhumi Samachar English","article_published_time":"2024-09-25T14:34:56+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.pib.gov.in\/WriteReadData\/userfiles\/image\/image001YN7X.jpg"}],"author":"Saransh Kanaujia","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Saransh Kanaujia","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en\/2024\/09\/25\/astronomers-map-the-differential-rotation-of-the-suns-chromosphere-using-100-years-of-kodaikanal-data\/","url":"https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en\/2024\/09\/25\/astronomers-map-the-differential-rotation-of-the-suns-chromosphere-using-100-years-of-kodaikanal-data\/","name":"Astronomers map the Differential Rotation of the Sun\u2019s Chromosphere using 100 Years of Kodaikanal Data - Matribhumi Samachar English","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en\/#website"},"datePublished":"2024-09-25T14:34:56+00:00","dateModified":"2024-09-25T14:34:56+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/0a61403f4baf9627e92218b53a1e65f1"},"description":"Astronomers have utilized 100 years of data from Kodaikanal Observatory to map the differential rotation of the Sun\u2019s chromosphere. This groundbreaking research enhances our understanding of solar dynamics and its impact on space weather.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en\/2024\/09\/25\/astronomers-map-the-differential-rotation-of-the-suns-chromosphere-using-100-years-of-kodaikanal-data\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en\/2024\/09\/25\/astronomers-map-the-differential-rotation-of-the-suns-chromosphere-using-100-years-of-kodaikanal-data\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en\/2024\/09\/25\/astronomers-map-the-differential-rotation-of-the-suns-chromosphere-using-100-years-of-kodaikanal-data\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Astronomers map the Differential Rotation of the Sun\u2019s Chromosphere using 100 Years of Kodaikanal Data"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en\/","name":"Matribhumi Samachar English","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/0a61403f4baf9627e92218b53a1e65f1","name":"Saransh Kanaujia","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/45a8b03a1b1bb8255014f5e62f9cfea0eb8a9f7a6a604f9879038df08da23cea?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/45a8b03a1b1bb8255014f5e62f9cfea0eb8a9f7a6a604f9879038df08da23cea?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Saransh Kanaujia"},"description":"Saransh Kanaujia is currently editor of Matribhumi Samachar Group. He earlier worked with Hindusthan Samachar News Agency. He is also associated with many organizations.","sameAs":["https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en"],"url":"https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en\/author\/matribhumisamachar\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19335","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19335"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19335\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19477,"href":"https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19335\/revisions\/19477"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19335"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19335"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19335"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}