2 spacecraft caught the waves that might heat and accelerate the solar wind
Some lucky timing let the probes gather data that could explain longstanding solar riddles
The sun’s fiery corona, seen here in images captured by NASA’s Solar and Terrestrial Relations Observatory in 2017, exudes a stream of charged particles known as the solar wind. Recent observations appear to explain why this solar wind is so much faster and hotter than expected. A comet (circled) can be seen making a close approach to the sun.
Joy Ng, Bill Thompson/STEREO/NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center