Sharpest-ever solar view shows tiny stripes driving big space storms
A stunning breakthrough in solar physics reveals ultra-fine magnetic structures on the Sun's surface, thanks to the NSF's Inouye Solar Telescope. Researchers captured never-before-seen bright and dark stripes—called striations—within solar granules. These features behave like magnetic curtains rippling across the Sun, reshaping our understanding of magnetic field dynamics at microscopic scales. By achieving a resolution of just 20 kilometers, scientists could match real observations with simulations, revealing subtle magnetic fluctuations that alter how we see the solar surface. These discoveries illuminate not only solar activity but also magnetic behaviors in faraway cosmic environments, with implications for predicting space weather on Earth.
A stunning breakthrough in solar physics reveals ultra-fine magnetic structures on the Sun's surface, thanks to the NSF's Inouye Solar Telescope. Researchers captured never-before-seen bright and dark stripes—called striations—within solar granules. These features behave like magnetic curtains rippling across the Sun, reshaping our understanding of magnetic field dynamics at microscopic scales. By achieving a resolution of just 20 kilometers, scientists could match real observations with simulations, revealing subtle magnetic fluctuations that alter how we see the solar surface. These discoveries illuminate not only solar activity but also magnetic behaviors in faraway cosmic environments, with implications for predicting space weather on Earth.
