How Can The Sun Have A Magnetic Field If Heat Destoys Magnetism.

[Bilgepump]

If heat destroys magnetism - then how does the Sun have magnetic fields

[Zacs-Master]

http://ibex.swri.edu/students/How_does_the_Sun.shtml

[Old_Geezer]

My understanding is that in a bar magnet heat can point electrons in different directions so magnetism from one cancels magnetism from another: so there's no summation to create an overall field. Same can't be said of the sun which is churning around continually generating electromagnetic fields.

[ToraToraTora]

how did you determine that "heat destroys magnetism"?

[THECORBYLOON]

The temperature at which a permanent magnet loses its magnetism is called the Curie temperature or Curie point.

[jim360]

It doesn't. However, you can "kill" a magnet by heating it up. Also by bashing it really hard. However, that is not heat destroying magnetism, so much as heat disturbing the delicate and precise arrangement of aligned "mini-magnets" inside the magnet. If the mini-magnets are no longer aligned then the magnet loses its magnetism, and crucially, there aren't any dynamic forces that would drive the magnet to restore the alignment.

The Sun, however, very much is a dynamic. So even if heat were to screw things up (which itself is doubtful because it's a very different system from a cold metal bar), then the dynamic forces inside the Sun would drive the recreation of its magnetic field.

Magnetism is, probably, the poorest understood of the basic forces at least from a layman's point of view, as it's usually introduced in terms of those magnetic bar magnets and horseshoe magnets, etc, making it look like a very "static" force. In reality, magnetism is all about motion.

[jim360]

I forgot to include my snappy summary: "Heat doesn't destroy magnetism, it destroys magnets."

[ToraToraTora]

jim you have a lot more patience than me!

[jim360]

What's to be impatient about here? At worst bilgepump is guilty of a common misconception, if that's something to be guilty of. I've seen worse and, frankly, far more dangerous uses or abuses of science, on AB and elsewhere, than what is a pretty innocent question here. So I have no idea what you're on about TTT.

[dance2trance]

My guess is that well you see the sun is in essence a giant nuclear fusion reactor and we live on a lump of rock with access to nuclear fission reaction. So it is apples and oranges. Advise asking Sheldon on Big Bang Theory.