A team of scientists has achieved the clearest images yet of the sun’s surface, revealing a rugged and dynamic landscape. Looking directly at the sun without eye protection is dangerous, but researchers gained insight into the scorching surface using the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope at the National Science Foundation, located on the island of Maui, Hawaii.
The primary intent behind capturing these images was different; scientists aimed to refine and test the telescope’s capabilities. However, upon viewing the results, they realized they had captured the sun’s bright outer layer with unprecedented resolution. In addition, they observed strange feather-like patterns swirling across the surface.
“It reminds me of famous paintings, like the swirling skies in Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’,” stated Ruizhu Chen, a solar physicist at Stanford University, who was not involved in this research. The scientists noted wavy instability on the sun’s surface caused by magnetized plasma fragments moving alongside each other at varying speeds. This phenomenon is analogous to waves formed when wind blows over water, a known process governing fluid motion.
This had been observed on Earth and planets like Jupiter and Saturn but “has never been seen at this level on the solar surface,” according to study co-author Friedrich Wöger from the National Solar Observatory. The findings were published Wednesday in the journal Nature.
Scientists have an interest in understanding the sun’s internal workings to better anticipate massive energy eruptions known as coronal mass ejections. These ejections can head toward Earth, potentially causing solar storms that might interfere with GPS communications and create 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. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Leave a Reply