Scientists Capture Rare Coronal 'Rain' on the Sun in Stunning Footage

Instead of water, coronal rain is actually streams of charged solar plasma dropping back onto the Sun’s surface.

PUBLISHED 2 HOURS AGO

Solar surface activity. (Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | DrPixel)

Sometimes, videos of certain natural events leave us astonished. Whether it’s the oceans glowing in the night or the unusual colors of the sky, these rare yet beautiful moments prove just how powerful nature can be. In one such news, scientists, skywatchers, and the common public were all stunned to see a breathtaking video clip of a celestial phenomenon. The remarkable footage featured a few seconds of blazing-hot coronal rain. Unlike ordinary rainfall, this rare phenomenon is made of charged solar plasma falling back toward the Sun’s surface. The video quickly went viral after Fascinating (@fasc1nate) shared it on their official X (formerly Twitter) handle.

Solar prominences, the atmosphere of the star and its activity. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | vitacopS) — Solar prominences, the atmosphere of the star, and its activity. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | vitacopS)

They shared the extraordinary footage and explained, "Coronal rain happens in the Sun’s outer atmosphere when super‑hot gas suddenly cools, collects along magnetic field lines, and drips back to the surface. It often appears after solar flares or other bursts of heating, and the falling plasma can be hundreds of times cooler than the corona around it." As soon as the video was shared, it gained thousands of likes and views, and a few comments too. One X user, who goes by the username @bomac_macbo, commented, “If this is real, it's one of the coolest videos I've ever seen.”

An image of erupting plasma flares. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Remotevfx) — Erupting plasma flares. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Remotevfx)

Others in the comment section praised the video by calling it “interesting” and “lit.” As reported by Space, this strange yet interesting phenomenon of coronal rain works a little bit like normal rain on our planet, as it falls toward the Sun’s surface due to the presence of gravitational force. However, the major difference is that it doesn’t follow a straight path down, unlike the usual rains. Since the sun’s plasma is electrically charged, it moves along magnetic field lines before falling onto the ground. This causes the streams of glowing plasma to curve in a loop-like arch.

It was also found that the plasma from the Sun’s outer atmosphere reaches its surface at a rapid speed of around 200,000 kilometers per hour. Moving ahead, unlike Earth’s rain, in which water evaporation plays a major part, coronal rains happen because of the clouds formed by the solar flares' evaporation. Dr Eamon Scullion, a solar physicist from Trinity College Dublin, spoke about how similar both the processes are and said, "Showers of 'rain' and waterfalls on the Sun are quite something, though I wouldn't recommend taking a stroll there anytime soon. But the parallels with weather on Earth are both striking and surprising," as reported by Phys.

Watch the video here.

More on Green Matters

What Are Solar Flares and Are They Dangerous?

The Sun’s Solar Flares Are Expected to Become More Powerful — How Does This Affect Us?

X9 Solar Flare Sends Solar Storms Towards Earth, Thanks to the Biggest CME Since 2017