Astronomers using Inouye Solar Telescope capture Sun's Kelvin-Helmholtz instability
Technology
Astronomers just snapped the clearest images ever of the Sun's surface, using Hawaii's Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope.
These new images reveal swirling plasma patterns and, for the first time, show a phenomenon called Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (KHI) happening on a star.
The findings were published in Nature.
Whirlpools linked to space weather impacts
These plasma whirlpools, some as wide as nearly 170km and heated to 5,500 degrees Celsius, are shaped by strong magnetic fields twisting around in the Sun's outer layer.
They help store energy that powers solar flares and massive eruptions, which can mess with Earth's satellites and power grids.
Understanding KHI could make space weather forecasts better and help protect our technology back home.