A solar storm chaser
How similar are solar tornadoes to tornadoes on Earth?
Aside from the visible appearance, tornadoes on Earth and on the Sun are very different phenomena. In both cases the tornado funnel is narrow at the bottom and widens with height in the atmosphere. Particles inside tornadoes are forced to move in spirals. Tornadoes on Earth occur as a result of temperature and gas pressure differences and strong shear winds. Solar tornadoes are generated by rotating magnetic field structures, which force the plasma, the ionised gas, to move in spirals.
How do solar tornadoes contribute to aurorae on Earth?
It has been speculated that giant tornadoes may serve as a possible trigger of solar eruptions, where they build up a magnetic field structure until it destabilises and erupts. As a consequence, ionised gas could get ejected towards Earth, which would then contribute to aurorae. However, as of now there’s no direct connection confirmed.
Will any missions investigate this phenomenon further?
There are missions such as Solar Orbiter and the planned Solar-c. There will also be some major progress with ground-based observatories with the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) – formerly the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope, or ATST – which is currently built on Hawaii, and possibly the four-metre European Solar Telescope (EST), which may be built in the future. These new instruments will allow for an even closer look at our Sun and will enable us to answer the many open questions that we still have about solar tornadoes.
What is the primary difference between giant solar tornadoes and small-scale magnetic tornadoes?
It is currently not clear if these are different phenomena or not. Small-scale magnetic tornadoes have only been observed from the top so far, such as in the middle of the solar disc, whereas giant tornadoes are seen more towards the limb of the Sun, in other words from the side. In general magnetic tornadoes tend to have somewhat smaller diameters than giant tornadoes, but it is too early to draw solid conclusions.