{"id":22414,"date":"2011-06-09T22:51:32","date_gmt":"2011-06-09T20:51:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/planetsave.com\/?p=22414"},"modified":"2011-06-09T22:51:32","modified_gmt":"2011-06-09T20:51:32","slug":"dude-surfs-up-on-the-sun-classic-surfer-waves-seen-in-solar-atmosphere-video","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/planetsave.com\/articles\/dude-surfs-up-on-the-sun-classic-surfer-waves-seen-in-solar-atmosphere-video\/","title":{"rendered":"Dude, Surf's Up on the Sun — Classic 'Surfer' Waves Seen in Solar Atmosphere {VIDEO}"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Kelvin-Helmholtz<\/a><\/p>\n

Surf’s up big time on the Sun, or just above the sun, in this case. Seems like NASA’s high resolution Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) has caught conclusive evidence of classic “surfer waves”\u00a0 in the solar atmosphere — looking just like the kind in the opening sequence of ‘Hawaii Five-O’.<\/p>\n

On Earth, so-called “giant waves” of up to 60 feet in height have been surfed. But “giant” is relative: on the sun the observed waves are roughly the size of the continental U.S. But just like a surfer wave on Earth, the solar counterpart is formed by the same fluid mechanical phenomenon known as a Kelvin-Helmholtz instability<\/em>.<\/p>\n

If you’re into this, you’ll probably also love –>>\u00a0Large Solar Flare Erupts with \u2018Spectacular\u2019 Coronal Mass Ejection {VIDEO}<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Whenever to fluids of differing densities or speeds pass by each other, an “instability” arises (a wave form emerges), as small ripples get amplified into bigger and bigger waves. This is also known as turbulence<\/em>. In the case of earth-bound, surfer waves, the\u00a0 two fluids are the ocean surface and the air current above it.<\/p>\n

On the sun, the two fluids are two plasmas<\/em> — expanses of super hot, charged gases — interacting: one that is erupting from the surface and shooting past a second plasma that is not erupting. The resulting turbulence is a Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) wave form.<\/p>\n

The “froth” that builds up at the top of a surfer wave as it curls increases friction between the two layers. The friction builds and transfers heat energy to the wave, propelling the the wave and making it grow.<\/p>\n

Watch the NASA\/GSFC SDO video of the surfer wave below or larger on NASA’s website<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n