China's first comprehensive solar probe, Kuafu-1, has made a significant breakthrough by detecting over 100 white-light flares since its launch in October 2022, according to the Purple Mountain Observatory (PMO) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
White-light flares are high-energy events that emit enhanced visible light, often impacting space weather. These flares can disrupt ground communications, interfere with spacecraft operations, and pose challenges to our daily technology-dependent lives.
By December 2023, Kuafu-1's White-light Solar Telescope had observed more than 120 white-light flares, providing valuable data to explore the physical nature of these powerful solar events.
Gan Weiqun, chief scientist of Kuafu-1 at PMO, stated, \"The observations of Kuafu-1 suggest that white-light flares are not as rare as previously realized.\" He added that the research team plans to integrate multi-band observations from other satellites to comprehensively study white-light flares and enhance space weather forecasting for China.
Launched in October 2022, Kuafu-1 has become the world's first near-Earth satellite telescope capable of simultaneously monitoring solar flares, coronal mass ejections, and the sun's magnetic field. To date, the probe has recorded approximately 600 terabytes of raw solar data, paving the way for further research and discoveries.
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China's solar probe Kuafu-1 detects over 100 white-light flares
cgtn.com
