AN Aberystwyth academic is taking part in a £400,000 project to explore one of the most mysterious and important phenomena in our solar system.

Dr David Kuridze, Research Fellow at the Department of Physics, will measure the magnetic field at the outer limits of the Sun using the world’s most powerful solar telescope based in Hawaii.

This area is what controls highly disruptive solar flares, eruptions or coronal loops, the bright magnetic curves that appear as arcs forming above the Sun’s surface.

The energy produced by this field in so-called coronal mass ejections during particularly serious bouts of space weather can cause massive levels of disruption.

Freak space weather events can also disrupt satellite and radio communications, GPS, and can cause radiation poisoning in humans, especially those who are in space.

Dr David Kuridze from Aberystwyth University said: “It is ever present above us but there is still so much we do not know about the Sun. Space weather is just one of these areas and is such a vital one to explore because the economic consequences of severe events are enormous.

“Large solar storms and violent disturbances in the near-Earth environment pose huge risks for society and our anthroposphere. It is vital that its negative impact is reduced through accurate prediction.

“The data that we will be able to tap into thanks to the power of the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope means we will have insight like never before into the causes of space weather events.”