How AI is helping scientists unlock some of the sun's deepest secrets

A mass of plasma at the very top of the Sun rose up from the surface, streamed along, darted back and forth, and finally rose up and broke away into space (Nov. 19-21, 2012). The material was being controlled by strong, yet unseen, magnetic forces that were pulling it in various directions. The images were taken in extreme ultraviolet light.

Our sun cycles through its pattern of energetic activity every 11 years, but the technology scientists use to observe is advancing at a faster pace.

That's one of the take-home messages of a new study, which argues that artificial intelligence (AI) can bridge the growing gap between newer and older solar data and help scientists uncover overlooked aspects of our star's long-term evolution.