WASHINGTON: Scientists have captured the most detailed images and videos ever recorded of the Sun’s surface using the world’s most powerful solar telescope, revealing swirling plasma vortices with unprecedented clarity.
Researchers said the observations mark a major step towards understanding the Sun’s magnetic field and the origins of space weather.
According to the research team, the vortices are formed as hot gases twist and rotate the Sun’s magnetic field. This process can eventually trigger powerful solar eruptions that generate space weather.
Scientists warned that space weather can disrupt satellites, power grids and communication systems on Earth, while also posing risks to astronauts in space.
Dr David Boboltz of the US National Solar Observatory (NSO) said a detailed understanding of the Sun’s internal physical processes is essential for improving future space weather forecasting.
The findings, published in the journal Nature, were made using the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope in Hawaii, where clear atmospheric conditions allow exceptionally sharp observations of the Sun.
Scientists identified the swirling motion as a phenomenon known as the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, which occurs when layers of gas or fluid moving at different speeds interact, producing vortex-like structures.
NSO scientist Dr Frederic Voigt said the discovery also helps explain why the Sun’s outer atmosphere is much hotter than its surface, as the vortices transport energy into the upper layers, where it is later released in the form of solar flares and coronal mass ejections.
Researchers said the study has significant scientific and practical value, as understanding the Sun provides crucial insight into the physical processes that shape the solar system and affect life on Earth.
