ACE Studies Solar "Sneezes"
News story originally written on December 14, 1998
Scientists have used the Advanced
(ACE) to measure the temperature of tiny
"sneezes" of solar material called impulsive solar flares.
"These flares are relatively modest, compared to a typical solar flare.
Before ACE, we had to average over a group of them to get a temperature
estimate," said Dr. Joseph Mazur of the Aerospace Corporation, a
contributor to the research.
The Solar Energetic Particle Ionic Charge Analyzer (SEPICA) measures
electrical charge on atoms. Electrons are stripped from atoms at high
temperatures. By measuring the number of missing electrons (the charge),
SEPICA can determine the temperature of the flare
that created the particles.
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