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Science 13 February 1998:
Vol. 279. no. 5353, p. 987
DOI: 10.1126/science.279.5353.987
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Research News

ASTROPHYSICS:
Sunquakes May Power Solar Symphony

Erik Stokstad

The sun vibrates with millions of different overtones, but their exact cause has been a mystery. Now a paper to appear in the 1 March issue of the Astrophysical Journal proposes that solar tremors called "sunquakes" power this resonance with bursts of sound. By analyzing measurements of the solar atmosphere for motions caused by sound, the researchers found evidence that strengthens a theory that gas plunges noisily below the solar surface. Although it's unclear how these downdrafts might generate the noise, the team detected this acoustic energy feeding one type of solar oscillation.

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)