Solar Activity

Astronomers finally resolve the sun’s miniature plasma whirlpools, each barely 20 kilometers wide

Astronomers using the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope have captured images of previously unobserved plasma vortices on the sun's surface, each approximately 20 kilometers wide. These "miniature plasma whirlpools" are believed to be Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities and may play a significant role in how the sun banks, shifts, and releases magnetic energy, potentially explaining how magnetic fields are twisted and carried into the solar atmosphere. This discovery could help bridge gaps in current models of the sun's eleven-year activity cycle.