Solar Physics

Inouye telescope spots plasma whirlpools rolling along the Sun’s magnetic edges

Physicists have identified Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities, previously only observed in fluids, on the Sun's surface using the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope. These plasma whirlpools, too small for older instruments, could change our understanding of how heat and magnetic energy travel through the Sun's atmosphere. The discovery was a byproduct of a test aimed at achieving the telescope's maximum resolution.