A team of scientists has captured the most detailed images of a solar flare ever taken using the world’s largest solar telescope in Hawaii. The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope recorded chaotic loops of plasma at the sun’s surface, revealing new insights into the mechanics of solar flares.
The observation was made possible by perfect observing conditions and allowed researchers to study X-class solar flares in unprecedented detail. These flares are massive bursts of light emitted by the sun during solar storms, disrupting radio communications and spacecraft orbiting Earth.
Scientists have long struggled to understand the size of plasma loops that make up these arcades. The new images show that on average, these loops span around 30 miles wide, but some were smaller, down to about 13 miles. This breakthrough resolves the spatial scales scientists have been speculating about for years, opening up new avenues for studying solar flares.
The data collected by the telescope could help improve models of solar flares and better understand the magnetic field in the corona. The study’s findings are considered a landmark moment in solar science, allowing researchers to “see” the sun at the scales it works on.
Source: https://www.livescience.com/space/the-sun/scientists-unveil-most-detailed-photo-of-a-solar-flare-ever-taken