Solar "Tadpoles" Finally Explained

Abhishek writes " Solar "tadpoles" - dark shadows that seem to wiggle down toward the surface of the sun during flares - may have been explained by University of Warwick astrophysicists. Dr Valery Nakariakov and Dr Erwin Verwichte analysed observations obtained with NASA's "Transition Region And Coronal Explorer" (TRACE) space mission. They theorize that the wiggles of the tadpoles' tails are earth-sized waves similar to the waves in a flag blown by the wind. They think that the waves are produced by a phenomenon known as "negative energy waves"; waves pull energy from the medium they propagate through. The "tadpoles" are optical illusions, rather than real physical structures; the apparently descending tadpole head marks the falling start point of the matter's upward acceleration."

Comments

Re:What an awful description!

[Anonymous Coward]

Not all optical illusions are "artifacts of the human vision system". Heat wave mirages seem to be water, but are just a refraction of the sky. Looks like water, but it's not. The explanation of this does not rely solely on descriptions of sensory organs.