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| Science & Technology |
| The sun as you've NEVER seen it: Scientists reveal the most detailed photo of our home star yet |
| 2025-04-25 |
| [Daily Mail, where America gets its news] scientists have released the most detailed photo of our sun yet – and it gives a close-up glimpse of its intense magnetic energy. The image was captured by the world’s most powerful solar telescope, which takes 2D snapshots of the sun at a range of wavelengths. Several hundred images are taken in just a few seconds by three synchronised cameras using different settings – similar to taking a series of photographs using different filters. Combining these images allows for a 3D view of the sun’s structures – as seen in this remarkable picture. The newly released image reveals a cluster of sunspots on the Sun’s surface, measuring approximately 25,000km by 25,000km. Sunspots - areas of intense magnetic activity - often lead to solar flares and coronal mass ejections, which are what is responsible for our Northern Light displays on Earth. The image achieves a spatial resolution of 10km per pixel – showing the sunspots in unprecedented detail. The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope was first installed at the National Solar Observatory (NSO) near the summit of Maui’s Haleakalā volcano in 2022. It has now achieved ‘first light’ – used to describe the first time a telescope lens is exposed to the night sky – with its most advanced instrument, the new Visible Tunable Filter (VTF). Designed and built in Germany, the VTF arrived at the observatory last year and has since been carefully installed. It weighs 5.6 tons and has a footprint roughly the size of a small garage, occupying two floors. While it is not yet fully operational, science verification and commissioning are expected to begin in 2026. ‘Seeing those first spectral scans was a surreal moment,’ said Dr. Stacey Sueoka, Senior Optical Engineer at the observatory. ‘This is something no other instrument in the telescope can achieve in the same way. ‘It marked the culmination of months of optical alignment, testing, and cross-continental teamwork. |
| Posted by:Skidmark |
| #1 Scientists Look to Dim the Sun to Counter 'Runaway Climate Change' |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2025-04-25 10:41 |