Inouye Telescope shows the sun like we have never seen it before
The US National Science Foundation’s (NSF) new Daniel K Inouye Solar at the Haleakala Observatory on the Hawaiian island of Maui has completed nearly one year of operations. But the telescope has already proven its worth capturing an image of the Sun in exquisite detail.
According to the NSF, the Inouye Solar Telescope is the most powerful solar telescope in the world. The image of the Sun’s chromosphere taken the telescope has a resolution of 18 kilometres and captures a region that is 82,500 kilometres across. The chromosphere is the second of the three main layers in the Sun’s atmosphere. It is located above the photosphere and below the solar transition region and corona.
“NSF’s Inouye Solar Telescope is the world’s most powerful solar telescope that will forever change the way we explore and understand our sun. Its insights will transform how our nation, and the planet, predict and prepare for events like solar storms,” said NSF Director, Sethuraman Panchanathan, in a press statement.
A delegation of @NSF & @AURADC leaders, congressional dignitaries, and members of the scientific and Native Hawaiian communities recently commemorated the inauguration of the #InouyeSolarTelescope – including the release of two new images of our Sun! https://t.co/dsTzFWZnkp
— NatlSolarObservatory (@NatSolarObs) September 7, 2022
According to Science Alert, what looks like the threads in a shag carpet in the image are actually fiery plasma flowing into the sun’s corona. The blobs of matter are granules and are about 1,600 kilometres wide.
The Sun’s chromosphere is usually invisible for the most part and can only be seen during a total solar eclipse when it appears as a red rim around the eclipsed star. But this has changed thanks to advances in imaging technology. According to the NSF, the Inouye Solar Telescope will write the next chapters of solar physics research during its planned 50-year journey, during which it help scients understand more about the Sun, its magnetic behaviour and its influence on our planet.
