Explanation: What does the sharpest high-resolution image of the Sun reveal? Instability—specifically, a dynamic process known as the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability (KHI). This phenomenon can produce waves and swirling patterns when two streams flow past one another. On the Sun, these streams consist of varying flows of magnetized solar plasma. Although scientists have long predicted that KHI could occur on the solar surface, the instability’s streaks and swirls have now been confirmed in dramatic, ultra-high-resolution images captured by the Inouye Solar Telescope in Hawaii, USA. The featured false-color yellow image, actually recorded in deep blue light, is the highest-resolution visible-light image of the Sun ever produced. The region shown is approximately the size of Earth, yet the finest visible details are comparable to the size of a city. The image reveals smooth, changing tops of solar granules, while the edges of these flower-like structures contain numerous Kelvin–Helmholtz instability swirls. Future research could reveal how KHI transports energy and magnetic fields—and whether it contributes to heating the surrounding solar corona.
Tomorrow’s picture: Rubin’s COSMOS
Source: science.nasa.gov