Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Science
Ian Sample Science editor

Unprecedented images may explain one of greatest mysteries of the sun

Image of the sun's surface showing whirlpool-like structures identified as signatures of what scientists call Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities
The image of the sun’s surface, taken by the Inouye solar telescope, reveals signatures of what scientists call Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities. Photograph: NSF/NSO/Aura/MPS

Golden bands and swirling vortices have been spotted on the sun in the most detailed images ever captured of the turbulent surface of our home star.

Astronomers observed the sun with the Inouye solar telescope in Hawaii, the world’s most powerful solar telescope, and saw new features smaller than 20km (12 miles) across in a magnetically active region close to a sun spot.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.