A powerful ground-based solar telescope has taken new photographs of the
sun's surface that show sunspots and other characteristics in unparalleled
detail.
The four-meter (13.1-foot) Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, owned by the
National Science Foundation and situated on the Hawaiian island of Maui, was
used to capture the eight photographs, which were made public on May
19.
The images reveal the calmer regions of the solar surface, despite the
sun's rising activity as the July 2025 solar maximum, the pinnacle of the
sun's 11-year cycle, approaches.
The photosphere, or the area of the sun's surface where the magnetic field
is strong, is dotted with cool, black sunspots that can be as big as the
Earth or bigger. Solar flares and coronal mass ejections, which release
plasma and a portion of the magnetic field from the sun's outer atmosphere,
or corona, and shoot throughout the solar system, are brought on by sunspot
clusters.
These powerful sunbursts have the potential to interfere with
satellite-based communications on Earth.
A study in contrast may be found in the sunspot patches shown in the
photos. On the surface of the sun, bright, hot plasma flows upward while
darker, cooler plasma flows below. Threadlike formations in the
chromosphere, the part of the atmosphere above the surface, indicate the
presence of magnetic fields.
The black sunspots show fine, intricate architecture, including luminous
dots where the magnetic field is greatest. The sunspot is surrounded by
bright penumbral filaments, which are produced by the magnetic field and
carry heat.
Another picture depicts a sunspot that has mostly lost its brighter
penumbra, which appears to be deteriorating. The leftover shards may
represent the last stage of a sunspot's life cycle before it vanishes,
according to researchers.
Additionally, "light bridges," brilliant solar phenomena that transcend a
sunspot's deepest area, were spotted by the Inouye Solar Telescope. Though
the appearance of these intricate structures can vary, scientists believe
light bridges could serve as a warning sign for a sunspot that is ready to
deteriorate. More information on the development of light bridges and their
importance may become available from future observations.
According to the National Science Foundation, the photos captured over the
last year were among the first observations made utilizing the largest and
most potent ground-based solar telescope in the world during its
commissioning phase. The organization claims that the telescope is now being
upgraded to its full operating potential.
The capabilities of the telescope are expected to help scientists unravel
the mysteries of the sun's magnetic field and provide answers to important
puzzles concerning the sun, such as where solar storms come from.
The telescope was made to produce never-before-seen photographs of the
solar atmosphere and to continuously measure the magnetic fields in the
sun's corona. Inouye's imaging capabilities are three times greater than
those of other observatories, allowing it to capture tiny solar
characteristics.
Some of the sun's long-standing mysteries can be solved with the aid of
solar data from the Inouye Solar Telescope, two space-based projects named
Solar Orbiter and the Parker Solar Probe, and beautiful new vistas of our
star.
