A Mysterious 'Heartbeat' Solar Flare Originating Thousands of Miles Above the Sun's Surface

Experts from the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) have detected a signal about 5,100 kilometers above the melting surface of our sun and have believed to be produced by a C-class solar flare

Scientists believe the "heartbeat" is from a C-class solar flare (

Image: Getty Images/Stocktrek Images)

Scientists are puzzled after detecting mysterious signals that sound like 'heartbeats' thousands of miles above the sun's molten surface.

Researchers believe the beats - which repeat every 10 to 20 seconds - could help us better understand the most powerful explosions in the solar system.

Experts led by the Institute of Technology (NJIT) detected the signal about 3106 above the star's surface.

They thought it was produced by a C-class solar flare, which they later described as the strongest energy expulsion.

For one to be large enough to create the beats, it would have to be much larger than the Earth.

Lead researcher and astronomer Sijie Yu called the discovery “unexpected.”

The eruption was detected thousands of kilometers above the surface of the sun (

Picture:

Sijie Yu of NJIT/CSTR; NJU's Yuankun Kou; NASA SDO/AIA)

He continued, "This beat pattern is important for understanding how energy is released and dissipated in the sun's atmosphere during these incredibly powerful outbursts on the sun.

"However, the origin of these repeating patterns, also called quasi-periodic pulsations, has long been a mystery and a source of debate among solar physicists."

Thanks to the Expanded Owens Valley Solar Array (EOVSA), a US facility that tracks microwave radio frequencies, scientists were able to pinpoint the exact location of the first pulse.

The initial signal is thought to come from the base of an electrical current greater than 25.00...