Solar Magnetic Flux Tubes

Formation, which takes from three to five minutes 2. Stable stage, which lasts tens of minutes 3. Collapse, or the move to an unstable state, which again takes tens of minutes Magnetic Flux Tubes and Sun Spots Magnetic Flux Tubes are of interest because of their close relation to their much larger cousins: Sunspots.

By modeling MFT's it is hoped that more can be learned about Sunspots. Sunspots are much larger and longer lived. They are the single biggest influence on the amount of solar radiation that reaches the earth, and can have tremendous impact on radio communications, and the thickness of the earth's atmosphere.

When sunspots are active they cause heating in the upper atmosphere, which in turn causes expansion. Skylab fell to earth prematurely in 1979 due to this phenomenon when an unexpected Sun Spot flared up. The launch of the Hubble telescope was delayed for a year because of Sunspot activity.