The Fields of Force in the Atmosphere of the Sun

Abstract

The structure of the solar atmosphere above and sluronllllding sunspots has been Plustrated in a previous article in NATURE.¹ Silngle spots often lie at the centre of an apparent vortex resembling a terrestrial tornado or cycloriec soe i times nearly radial in form, more cornmmonly showing marked clockwise or counter-clockwise curvature. Bipolar spots (Fig. 1) are often suyrounded by a field of force similar to that of a bar magnet, though in rany eases the structure is verv different. I havo recenttly discssed the mature of these fields of force,2 but the evidence, which favoured a hydrodynamical rather than an electtro N S Fie. 1.-PIueld of forcE in thi hydrogeh st-rsosphcrr aurroundingt Ang. 21, M C4 T oe ibrditturt cf the, byclrOge-hr lnral Thase I reljlf siurroidig 111 Dor ite e.mgnetl poles. magnetie explanation, was inconclusive, especially in view of the prevalence of the bar margnet type so frequently assoEiated with bipolar spots. This seemed to point to an eleetronnagnetic origin, and the impossibility uf analysing adequately the structure of the hydrogen flocculi in thfese bipolar fields has greatly impeded progress.