New high-resolution images from the Inouye Solar Telescope have confirmed the presence of Kelvin-Helmholtz instability on the Sun's surface.
Key facts
- •The Inouye Solar Telescope is located in Hawaii, USA.
- •The image represents the highest resolution view of the Sun ever taken in visible light.
- •Kelvin-Helmholtz instability occurs when variable streams of solar magnetic plasma flow past each other.
- •The image details are as small as the size of a city.
- •Researchers are investigating if KHI helps heat the solar corona.
The Inouye Solar Telescope in Hawaii has captured the sharpest visible-light image of the Sun to date. The high-resolution photograph reveals the presence of Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (KHI), a phenomenon characterized by waves and swirls occurring when streams of solar magnetic plasma flow past one another.
Confirming Solar Instability
While Kelvin-Helmholtz instability has long been hypothesized to occur on the Sun's surface, the new images provide the first confirmation of these streaks and swirls. The captured structures appear as flower-like patterns, with the edges of these solar granules harboring multiple KHI swirls.
Image Scale and Future Research
The featured image, which is rendered in false-yellow but was captured in deep blue, spans an area roughly the size of the Earth's radius, with the finest details reaching city-sized proportions. Future studies will examine how these instabilities contribute to the movement of energy and magnetic fields, as well as their potential role in heating the solar corona.
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This article was independently rewritten by ManyPress editorial AI from reporting originally published by NASA Breaking News.
