Solar Vortices Captured by DKIST Telescope and Eclipse Study to Probe Sun’s Corona

New high‑resolution images from the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope on Maui have revealed tiny plasma vortices in the Sun’s photosphere, providing the first direct evidence of the Kelvin‑Helmholtz instability on the solar surface. The discovery, made by an international team that includes researchers from the National Solar Observatory, the High‑Altitude Observatory, NCAR and the Max Planck Institute, could help resolve the long‑standing question of why the Sun’s outer atmosphere reaches temperatures of about a million degrees and improve space‑weather forecasting. David Kuridze said, “Wow, how is it possible to see such small and thin structures on the Sun?”

A total solar eclipse next Wednesday will give scientists another chance to study the Sun’s outer atmosphere. Portuguese solar physicist Ricardo Gafeira will join a European expedition that will observe the eclipse from Palencia, Spain, and from the Montesinho Natural Park in Portugal, using a special‑filter telescope and high‑speed camera to record the white‑light halo of the corona. The data are intended to test models of the solar magnetic field, solar wind and coronal heating—phenomena that can affect satellites, power grids and communications on Earth.