Title:

Surprises of the Solar Atmosphere




Richard Woo
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Pasadena, CA




Abstract:

It has been said by Robert Leighton that if the Sun did not
have a magnetic field, it would be as uninteresting a star
as most astronomers believe it to be.  While making the Sun
an interesting star, the paucity of coronal magnetic field
measurements has made investigations of its influences on
the solar atmosphere rather challenging.  Recent
observations that have led to surprises in our current
understanding of the topology of the solar magnetic field
of our nearest star will be presented and discussed.  In
particular, it will shown how these new observations also
provide insight into how the solar magnetic field gives
rise to the density structure observed during solar
eclipses, as well as to the variations in solar wind
properties observed by interplanetary spacecraft.