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back to article New theory for sun's ring of fire

Scientists have proposed a new mechanism to explain the so-called ring of fire that is visible around the sun during a full solar eclipse. Previously it was thought that the photosphere, the sun's visible surface, trapped the sound waves that bound around its interior. But the research (presented at the American Astronomical …

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  1. Dax Farrer

    Music of the Spheres

    Nice to know those 50's SF authors got a few things right

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  2. Rose

    Re: Music of the Spheres

    I didn't know William Shakespeare and Pythagorus were '50s SF authors.

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  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Sun Powered by Electricity, not Sound?

    I read a book recently (The Electric Sky) which suggested that the sun was powered by electricity, e.g. like electric arc welding. Seems a lot more plausible than sound.

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  4. Michael Corkery

    Surely with it's incredible mass

    it's a giant ball of nuclear reaction? How electricity - does it's inner movements generate huge volumes of static? Given it's energy output (and I'm not a scientician) is ~humongous, it seems more likelyt that nuclear energy would provide it rather than electrical. That, and again the impact of that much mass on space would mean matter under incredible compression, which is why I'd always assumed nuclear.

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  5. Phil Hill

    Controversal But Fits Much of the Observed Data

    I think there's some nuclear reactions there, but the main powerhouse is supposed to be electrical in terms of massive electrical currents, apparently connected to the giant output of the centre of our galaxy. Bit wacky I know, but really thought-provoking. Interesting to learn that the electrical idea appears to explain the shapes of some of the wierder galaxies, the way some suns have appeared to die very quickly and lack of observered nutrinos etc. Can't say I understand it all, but would like to think I'm open minded enough to give a new(ish) theory a chance!

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