Scientists using the world’s most powerful solar telescope have captured the Sun’s surface in unprecedented detail, revealing previously unseen magnetic activity.
The new images and video show swirling “whirlpools” of solar activity that scientists have never been able to observe so clearly before.
These dramatic patterns are caused by the Sun’s magnetic field twisting and shifting as hot gas moves across its surface.
This continuous motion helps drive powerful bursts of energy from the Sun, producing space weather that can disrupt Earth’s power grids and satellites, and potentially place astronauts at risk.
“The Sun is the source of that energy and all space weather,” explained Dr David Boboltz of the US National Solar Observatory, external (NSO).
More detailed images of the Sun could improve scientists’ ability to understand and respond to dangerous space weather, he said.
“To understand and eventually predict space weather, we need to study the Sun’s physics at every level, including its smallest scales.”
Source: www.bbc.co.uk