A team of scientists has captured the clearest images to date of the solar surface, unveiling a rugged and dynamic façade. Looking directly at the sun without proper eye protection is hazardous. However, researchers managed to glimpse its scorching surface using the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, located in Maui, Hawaii.
Originally, scientists took these images for a different purpose: to fine-tune and test the telescope’s capabilities. When they examined the results, they realized they had photographed the sun’s bright outer layer with unprecedented resolution. Additionally, they observed strange, feathery patterns rippling across the surface.
It reminds me of famous paintings, like the swirling skies in van Gogh’s ‘The Starry Night’,
stated solar physicist Ruizhu Chen from Stanford University, who was not involved in the new research. Researchers noticed wave-like instabilities on the sun’s surface caused by magnetized plasma fragments moving alongside each other at different speeds, much like waves formed when the wind blows over water. This known phenomenon guides how fluids move.
This effect has been observed on Earth and in other planets like Jupiter and Saturn, but it has never been seen at this level on the solar surface, according to study co-author Friedrich Wöger of the National Solar Observatory.
The findings were published on Wednesday in the journal Nature. Scientists are interested in the sun’s internal workings to better track massive energy bursts known as coronal mass ejections, which can head toward Earth. When they impact, they can trigger solar storms, potentially disrupting GPS communications and creating colorful auroras.
The Associated Press receives support for its health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. AP is solely responsible for the content.