Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery about the sun’s magnetic field using the world’s most powerful solar telescope, the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope. Located near the summit of Haleakalā, a volcano on the Hawaiian island of Maui, the telescope has captured the highest resolution observations of the sun’s visible surface, uncovering a hidden process that drives solar activity.
Understanding the Sun’s Behavior
The imagery and time-lapse video reveal an unprecedented look at the sun’s complex and dynamic photosphere, the visible surface of the sun that exists as a thin layer of atmosphere shaped by magnetic fields and currents of fluid plasma. By combining the detailed imagery with computer simulations, researchers have identified the signature of small whirlpools on the sun’s surface, known as Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (KHI), which could directly impact life on Earth.
The KHI phenomenon occurs when two fluids traveling at different velocities move past one another, creating tiny perturbations that result in spiraling vortices. This process could explain enduring solar mysteries, such as why the sun’s corona, or outer atmosphere, is much hotter than its surface. The swirls could also fuel the buildup of the sun’s magnetic energy, which drives solar flares and coronal mass ejections that can disrupt satellites, power grids, and other communications infrastructure when aimed at Earth.
Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
