See the Sun’s surface in higher detail than ever before in new telescope images
Researchers have captured the highest-resolution images of the Sun's surface to date using the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope. These observations provide new insights into the Sun's magnetic field and the mysteries of its corona.
Why it matters
Understanding solar activity is critical for predicting space weather, which can significantly impact Earth's satellites, power grids, and communication systems.
NSF/NSO/AURA/MPS See the Sun’s surface in higher detail than ever before in new telescope images Published: August 5, 2026 4:11pm EDT https://theconversation.com/see-the-suns-surface-in-higher-detail-than-ever-before-in-new-telescope-images-288931 https://theconversation.com/see-the-suns-surface-in-higher-detail-than-ever-before-in-new-telescope-images-288931 Link copied Share article Share article
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The Sun doesn’t just fuel almost all life on Earth. It’s also our astrophysical laboratory, the only star close enough to observe in sufficient detail.
This enormous ball of hydrogen and helium is made of plasma – extremely hot, electrically charged gas. The churning of plasma within the Sun produces an invisible magnetic field that envelops our entire Solar System.
Up close, at the Sun’s surface, the plasma is turbulent, dragging the magnetic field with it. It roils and bubbles and occasionally bursts out clouds of material known as coronal mass ejections .
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