Solar Telescope Captures Unprecedented High-Resolution Images of Sun's Surface
Researchers using the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope recorded the most detailed images of the Sun's outer layer, revealing fine-scale magnetic plasma patterns.
Scientists operating the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope on Maui have obtained the highest-resolution images to date of the Sun's photosphere, showing intricate feathery patterns across the stellar surface. The observations, initially intended to test the telescope's performance, revealed rippling structures caused by magnetized plasma moving at differing speeds, a phenomenon previously observed only on Earth and other planets.
"It reminds me of famous paintings, like the swirling skies in Van Gogh's Starry Night," said solar physicist Ruizhu Chen of Stanford University, who was not involved in the study.
Co-author Friedrich Wöger of the National Solar Observatory noted that such detailed visualization of plasma instability on the Sun has not been recorded before. The results, published in Nature, aim to improve understanding of solar dynamics that drive coronal mass ejections, which can affect satellite communications and produce auroras when they reach Earth.