X-Ray Image of Giant Magnetic Loops in the Solar Corona

The upper image shows an X-ray image of the Sun taken by the
Yohkoh satellite on November 4, 1997. A giant loop structure is
located in the lower left corner. It is formed by magnetic field
lines connecting the mid-latitude sunspot region with the Sun's
south magnetic pole as illustrated in the lower diagram.

The giant coronal loops appear during the growing phase of the 11-
year sunspot cycle, and contribute to reversal of the Sun's
magnetic poles. The loops are associated with bursts of the
sunspot activity, which come every 1-1.5 years. These processes
play an important role in "solar dynamo" that generates strong
magnetic fields on the Sun and is the source of sunspots, solar
flares and mass ejections that affect the Earth space environment.

These results are presented in the paper by Elena Benevolenskaya
"Solar Cycle Variations in the Corona", poster [57.12], Wednesday,
June 5, 2002, 10:00 am.

Contact information:

                  Elena Benevolenskaya
               tel. (650) 724-4938
               e-mail: elena@quake.stanford.edu

               Alexander Kosovichev
               tel. (650) 723-7667
               e-mail: sasha@quake.stanford.edu

               Philip Scherrer
               tel. (650) 723-1504
               e-mail: phil@quake.stanford.edu

Web information: http://soi.stanford.edu/press/aas06-02.

IMAGE CREDIT: NASA and Japan's Institute for Space and
Astronautical Sciences.