Uttar Pradesh
IIT Kanpur Map the Sun’s Hidden Interior Using 30 Years of Satellite Data
- 03 Feb 2026
- 3 min read
Why in News?
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur have created the first three-dimensional map of the Sun’s hidden interior magnetic field by assimilating 30 years of satellite observations into an advanced computational model, enhancing understanding of solar dynamics.
Key Points
- Achievement: The IIT Kanpur research team has developed a 3D dynamo model that assimilates three decades of solar magnetic field observations to map the Sun’s internal magnetic structure.
- The study was led by Soumyadeep Chatterjee from the Department of Physics at IIT Kanpur.
- Data Source: The model uses long-term data collected by satellites such as NASA’s SOHO and SDO, which have detailed the Sun’s surface magnetic fields over decades.
- Solar Dynamo Mapping: The research focuses on the solar dynamo, the deep-interior process responsible for generating the Sun’s magnetic field, which drives sunspots, solar flares and coronal mass ejections.
- 3D Model Insights: By fusing observational data with advanced computation, the model reveals how large-scale magnetic patterns evolve over time and enables estimation of the magnitude, structure and evolution of internal magnetic fields.
- Space Weather Relevance: Mapping the Sun’s hidden magnetic field improves the ability to predict solar cycles and space-weather events, which can disrupt satellites, power grids, GPS and communication systems on Earth.
- The model helps to estimate the peak strength of upcoming solar cycles, which is critical for safeguarding technological infrastructure.
- Big Data: The study exemplifies how big observational datasets combined with computational modelling can unlock previously inaccessible scientific insights.
SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory):
- Joint mission of NASA and ESA.
- Launched in 1995.
- Placed at Lagrange Point L1 between the Earth and the Sun.
- Studies the Sun’s interior, surface, corona, solar wind and CMEs.
SDO (Solar Dynamics Observatory):
- Mission of NASA.
- Launched in 2010 under the Living With a Star (LWS) program.
- Orbits the Earth in a geosynchronous orbit.
Read More: Sunspots, Solar flares and coronal mass
