New Images of the Sun Show Its Surface in the Finest Detail Yet
Researchers found 47 tiny whirlpools in solar plasma, a first confirmed detection of Kelvin-Helmholtz instability on a star.
- On Wednesday, researchers published findings in the journal Nature revealing the sun's surface in unprecedented detail, captured by the National Science Foundation's Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope on Maui, Hawaii.
- Scientists originally utilized the telescope to test its operational limits, but discovered strange 'whirlpools' of activity and feathery rippling patterns on the sun's outer shell that were previously impossible to observe.
- Researchers identified the phenomenon as 'Kelvin-Helmholtz instability,' where magnetized plasma moving at varying speeds creates twisting magnetic energy that drives intense heat and plasma blasts on the solar surface.
- Dr. David Boboltz of the National Solar Observatory explained that understanding these dynamics helps predict space weather, which can disrupt Earth's power grids, interfere with satellite communications, and potentially injure astronauts.
- Study co-author Friedrich Woeger noted such detail has never been observed on the solar surface before, reinforcing the sun's status as a 'unique laboratory' for studying basic physics like Einstein's relativity confirmed by solar eclipse observations.
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What are the magnetic swirls that the Inouye Telescope first detected on the surface of the Sun?
Solar activity may be caused by tiny plasma vortices that twist magnetic field lines and heat the corona.
Scientists in the United States and Germany have captured new, sharper images of the Sun. These show swirling movements on the Sun's surface, writes the American National Solar Observatory (NSO). According to the NSO, the swirling movements can be explained by Kelvin-Helmholtz instability. This is caused when two fluids slide past each other at different speeds. As a result, the fluids appear to make wave-like or spiral movements resembling wave…
New photos and videos of the Sun show "swirls" of activity that have not been seen until now
Using the US National Science Foundation's (NSF) Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, researchers have imaged the Sun's surface in the most detail ever, revealing previously unobservable, swirling plasma movements.
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