A perplexing solar enigma appears to be on the verge of resolution.

For decades, solar scientists have grappled with a fundamental paradox: the Sun’s outer atmosphere is dramatically hotter than its visible surface, despite being farther from the star’s core. While the solar surface, known as the photosphere, maintains a temperature of approximately 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit (5,500 degrees Celsius), its expansive outer atmosphere, the corona, inexplicably blazes at millions of degrees Fahrenheit.

A significant breakthrough in solar physics has shed light on a long-standing mystery. Researchers, leveraging observations from a new high-resolution telescope, have successfully detected previously elusive “magnetic waves” in the sun’s atmosphere. These waves are now believed to be a key mechanism behind the extreme heating of the solar corona. The landmark findings were published on October 24 in the journal *Nature Astronomy*.