The world’s largest and most powerful solar telescope has captured the highest-resolution images of the sun’s surface ever taken, say scientists at the National Solar Observatory.
The images show roiling plasma transporting heat from inside the sun to its surface. They’re the first to be released from the National Science Foundation’s Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope in Hawaii.
Researchers say the new telescope will generate a revolution in the scientific understanding of the sun.
The new technology will improve researchers’ understanding of what drives space weather, says Matt Mountain, president of the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, which manages the telescope. It also will help forecasters predict solar storms that can cause power blackouts and other disruptions on Earth, 93 million miles away.