The Sharpest Image Ever Taken of the Sun Reveals a Hidden Phenomenon
The photograph, taken in visible light, made it possible to observe for the first time the tiny plasma vortices that had been predicted for more than a century.
The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, situated atop Hawaii's Haleakalā volcano, has captured an image of the sun, revealing a phenomenon known as the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability for the first time. The image, shared by NASA, is not the most visually striking depiction of our star, but it offers a view as close as possible to what the human eye could see without being overwhelmed by its intense brightness.
Unlike previous images captured in ultraviolet or X-ray wavelengths—unseen by our eyes—this visible light photograph shows a sun surface resembling petals, swirls, and folds.
The "petals" in the image are a result of the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability. This physical phenomenon, first predicted over a century ago, occurs when two fluid currents move at differing speeds. The friction between these currents causes the boundary between them to ripple and form swirling patterns. While this instability is not exclusive to the sun, it is also observed on Earth, such as when wind blows over water or within clouds.
In the context of the sun, the fluids involved are plasma streams, a state of matter where gas becomes so hot that its atoms lose electrons.
Scientists anticipated that the sun's plasma streams would behave similarly to colliding streams of air or water, generating vortices. However, prior to the techniques employed by the Inouye telescope, visible-light telescopes provided an unremarkable view of the sun's surface, appearing smooth and uniform. The new image, released by NASA, spans approximately the Earth's radius and boasts the highest resolution available in visible light.
This high-resolution photograph will enhance our understanding of how the sun transfers its energy to its outer regions and how it influences the temperature of its solar corona. The solar corona, located outside the sun's visible surface, is of significant scientific interest as it is the source of coronal mass ejections—events responsible for geomagnetic storms that can disrupt the Earth's electronic systems.
The detailed image, originally published in WIRED en Español and translated from Spanish, provides a clearer picture of these processes, paving the way for a deeper comprehension of solar dynamics and their potential impact on our technological infrastructure.
Written by urgent.news from Wired's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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