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‘Campfires’ offer clue to solar heating mystery


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Computer simulations show that the miniature solar flares nicknamed ‘campfires’, discovered last year by ESA’s Solar Orbiter, are likely driven by a process that may contribute significantly to the heating of the Sun’s outer atmosphere, or corona. If confirmed by further observations this adds a key piece to the puzzle of what heats the solar corona – one of the biggest mysteries in solar physics.

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      For news media:
      Members of the news media interested in covering this topic should reach out to the NASA Ames newsroom.
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      By Miles Hatfield
      NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
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      Last Updated Nov 04, 2024 Related Terms
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      NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed for the agency by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.
      Space Science Institute produced this video.
      For more about Perseverance:
      https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020
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      Karen Fox / Molly Wasser
      NASA Headquarters, Washington
      202-358-1600
      karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / molly.l.wasser@nasa.gov
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      Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
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