"Before, scientists thought the cracks would open and close on a timescale of just a few minutes," physicist Harald Frey of the University of California at Berkeley explained.

"We have seen that these cracks can stay open continuously for many hours, these observations solve an old controversy about the nature of the crack forming process," Frey said.

The new observations were made possible with the use of NASA's Image satellite launched in March 2000. Tai Phan, a physicist at the same university, explained at a NASA press conference that the spacecraft "can detect the continuous presence of a proton spot" generated by solar winds.

The research team in May published initial findings on the origins of proton auroras which appear as shining spots that light up Earth's atmosphere.

The new information will allow researchers to improve forecasts of the effects of solar storms such as a series of dramatic solar storms that hit Earth in October.

SPACE.WIRE