Most-detailed-ever image of sun reveals roiling waves for first time
Remarkable images of the sun show vortices on its surface that have never been seen before because they are so small
A team of astronomers captured the highest-resolution images of the sun’s surface, revealing intricate wave patterns for the first time. These patterns, resembling those seen in Earth’s clouds, were observed on April 14, 2025, at the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope in Hawaii, just as clouds threatened to end the observation period.
The images, showing Kelvin–Helmholtz instabilities (KHI) – previously theorized but never seen – are formed at the boundaries of granules, cells of plasma rising from the sun’s interior. Measuring just a few tens of kilometers in length from the 150-million-kilometer distance, astronomers detected and tracked 25-kilometer-sized KHI vortices similar to spotting an ant from 160 kilometers away.
These wave structures are crucial in the dissipation and movement of heat on the sun and may influence magnetic fields driving coronal flares and other solar weather affecting Earth. Lead researcher Friedrich Wöger emphasized that understanding these tiny physical processes is essential for forecasting the sun’s disruptive behaviors and ultimately, predicting solar weather affecting our planet.
Written by urgent.news from New Scientist's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
