Solar "Tsunami" Allows Scientists To Measure Magnetic Field, Film Giant Plasma Wave On Sun's Surface [VIDEO]

A "tsunami " on the surface of the Sun was spotted by two satellite.

The sun "tsunami" involves release of matter into space known as a coronal mass ejection (CME).

The tsunami involves ionized gas racing across the Sun and a heightened magnetic field.

The solar tsunami was a chance sighting but understanding it predict how CMEs will affect the Earth.

Scientists were able to measure the magnetic field in "quiet" areas elsewhere.

The Japanese satellite, Hinode, that measured the incident may have helped researchers solve a 70-year-old mystery. The other satellite was the Solar Dynamics Observatory.

The corona that surrounds the Sun is much warmer than the surface, and scientists haven't ben able to understand why.

Finally, after years of looking, David Long of University College London and colleagues were able to spot EIT waves after a CME. Much like a tsunami, EIT waves are shock waves travel across the surface of the Sun. They bring with them magnetic fields and hot, ionised "plasma".

"These EIT waves are quite tricky - they're very random and they're relatively rare," Dr Long said to press"We need to be in the right place at the right time; this has been a long time coming."

"This tells us a lot about the nature of the Sun and what goes on in the atmosphere," Dr Long said. "These waves are quite important because they're associated with CMEs that fire plasma out into the heliosphere, toward the Earth."

The Hinode satellite mapped the density of the Sun's surface. And the SDO satellite captured ulturaiolet light emitted as the wave spread. 

Combining the data sets, the scientist determined the wave's speed and temperature, then were able to determine the strength of the magnetic field in the "quiet corona,"  which is difficult to measure.

CMEs disrupt satellite communications and may even knock out power grids on Earth, but they are difficult to predict.

"Generally we see them when there's a CME coming straight at us - but when it's coming straight at us then it's quite difficult to measure how fast it's coming at us or how strong it is," Dr Long said.

"So by looking at these waves, we should be able to infer how powerful these CMEs are going to be."

The puzzle about the Sun's surrounding corona may also have been solved.

The corona and the core of the sun are hotter, but the surface is cooler, and scientists don't understand why. It is possible that energy is lost on its journey. 

View a video of the solar tsunami by clicking here.