There were no such pictures yet. Scientists have revealed what the surface of the sun looks like
The eight images, released last Friday, were taken by the powerful Earth-based Inouye Solar Telescope. The device is designed to study and photograph the surface of our star with a length of 4 meters and is located on the island of Maui in Hawaii.
Although the sun has become more active as it approaches its projected solar maximum in July 2025 — which will be the peak of an 11-year cycle — the images show quieter spots on the celestial body’s surface.
Amazing pictures of the sun. Unprecedented detail
“Dark, cool sunspots are scattered across the photosphere, and the surface of the sun, where the magnetic field is strong and can be the size of Earth or larger. Sunspot clusters cause solar flares and coronal mass ejections — when plasma and some magnetic elements move away from the sun’s outer atmosphere. or corona and flows through the solar system.
These energetic eruptions also affect our planet – they can, for example, affect satellite and cellular communications.
The sunspot regions shown in the images are easy to identify because of the contrast — the bright, hot plasma flows over the surface of the Sun, while the darker, cooler plasma flows out.
look: Flying directly above the surface of the sun. This is what Solar Orbiter saw.
On the other hand, “marginal” filament-like structures in the chronosphere – the layer of atmosphere above the surface – indicate the presence of magnetic fields there.
These fine and detailed structures, including the glowing “blobs” that appear where the magnetic field is strongest, can be seen in the inner regions of dark sunspots. Surrounding these regions are bright bands of magnetic field called “penumbra filaments,” which carry heat.
The following image shows a sunspot that has lost most of its brighter surrounding area or semi-shadow, which appears to be fading away. Scientists believe that the remaining fragments may be the end point for the development of sunspots before they disappear.
NSF/AURA/NSOThe Inouye Solar Telescope has also detected “bridges of light”. These are the bright solar structures that extend over the darkest regions of the sunspot.
Scientists believe that these complex structures may indicate the imminent dissolution of sunspots. Future observations may provide more information about the formation and significance of light bridges.
NSF/AURA/NSOAccording to the National Science Foundation, the images taken over the past year were among the first observations using the world’s largest and most powerful ground-based solar telescope in operation. According to the agency, the telescope is now running at full operational capacity.
Scientists hope the telescope’s capabilities will allow them to answer key questions about the sun, including the origin of solar storms, as well as reveal the complexity of its magnetic field, CNN reports, based on an NSF release.
map / sgo / polsatnews.pl
