Swirling, vortex-like patterns observed on the sun's surface
On August 5, astronomers captured the highest-resolution images ever of our sun's visible surface, revealing swirling patterns of superheated gases resembling Vincent van Gogh's 1889 painting, The Starry Night. Using the National Science Foundation's Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope in Hawaii, researchers observed the photosphere, a thin layer about 60 miles deep on the sun's surface, roughly the size of Earth.
The images and video show continuously growing whirls of hot plasma ranging from 12 miles to 100 miles in diameter. These patterns are the first detection of a phenomenon called Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, or KHI, which occurs when two parallel streams of fluids interact at different velocities. KHI, first described in the 19th century, is a well-known meteorological occurrence on Earth and has been observed in the atmospheres of giant gas planets like Jupiter and Saturn.
The discovery of KHI on the sun could help scientists understand the underlying physical processes that impact the dynamics of the sun and other stars, including solar eruptions that can interfere with satellite operations, GPS navigation, power grids, and global communications on Earth.
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