Dancing Plasma Revealed in the Sharpest Images of the Sun
June 01, 2025
During the total solar eclipse last year, astronomers gained a rare glimpse of the Sun’s corona—the outermost layer of its atmosphere, typically hidden from view. Despite its importance, the corona remains mysterious: it’s far hotter than the Sun’s surface and is responsible for massive plasma eruptions that can disrupt satellites, power grids, and communication systems on Earth. Even advanced telescopes struggle to capture its fine details due to atmospheric distortion.
Now, scientists at Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) have captured the sharpest images yet of the Sun’s corona using an advanced adaptive optics system. This technology compensates for the Earth’s atmospheric interference, producing remarkably clear visuals. Nicolas Gorceix, a BBSO optical engineer and co-author of the study published in Nature Astronomy, likens the system to “supercharged autofocus and stabilization in a smartphone camera—except it corrects for air turbulence, not hand movement.”
The resulting high-resolution videos reveal a mesmerizing view of solar activity. One shows the Sun’s surface as a textured layer covered in short-lived plasma jets called spicules, flickering like flames. Another captures massive solar prominences—looping arcs of plasma—twisting and shifting with the magnetic field. A particularly dramatic sequence shows a sudden burst and collapse of a plasma structure known as a “plasmoid.”
These images not only offer a stunning look at our nearest star but also provide valuable data to help scientists better understand solar behavior and its effects on Earth. This breakthrough marks a major step forward in solar physics.
CREDITS: SCIENCE JOURNALS