Sun's Surface Images Reveal 'Starry Night'-like Swirls of Energy

Astronomers have unveiled the most detailed images ever captured of the sun's visible surface, showcasing dynamic, swirling plasma structures that researchers liken to the turbulent skies in Vincent van Gogh's "Starry Night."

Using the powerful Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope in Hawaii, scientists observed the sun's photosphere, the bright surface visible from Earth. The images, published in the journal Nature, reveal intricate patterns of plasma flowing at approximately 5,540 degrees Celsius (9,932 degrees Fahrenheit). These formations, measuring between 19 to 170 kilometers (12 to 106 miles) in diameter, are a result of Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (KHI).

KHI occurs when fluids moving at different speeds interact, creating swirling vortices. This is the first time this phenomenon has been observed with such clarity on the surface of a star. The continuous twisting motion churns the sun's magnetic field, accumulating energy that can lead to powerful solar events like flares and coronal mass ejections.

Researchers suggest these observations provide crucial insights into how energy is transported to the sun's outer atmosphere, helping to explain its extremely high temperature. Study co-author David Kuridze noted the striking similarity between the sun's KHI structures and the vortices in "Starry Night," as well as the wave-like shapes in Hokusai's "The Great Wave off Kanagawa." This comparison highlights how fundamental geometric patterns in nature resonate deeply with human artistic expression.

“

The vortices in Van Gogh's 'Starry Night' are very similar to the turbulent structures of KHI.