Last April, an international consortium of scientists released the first-ever image of a black hole at the heart of the galaxy M87. Since light can’t pass through it owing to its impenetrable shields of gravity, the picture revealed a shadow of the enormous hole instead.
People applauded the incredible feat and also compared it to a hazy donut, Sauron and the third eye. All in jest, of course! Now, the first highest resolution image of the sun’s surface is getting the same treatment.
According to CNN, the National Science Foundation’s Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope on the summit of volcano Haleakala in Hawaii produced the highest resolution images of the sun’s surface to date. Check it out.
See the Sun like never before! @NSF’s Inouye Solar Telescope produces first detailed images of the sun’s surface. https://t.co/c3SPB6gg8w #SolarVision2020
📷: @NatSolarObs/ @AURADC/ NSF pic.twitter.com/1GP2rwkVG0
— National Science Foundation (@NSF) January 29, 2020
News18 reports that the images show a pattern of “boiling plasma” that covers the surface. Each “cell” is the size of Texas and helps create convection. According to Business Insider, the tiniest white dots are the size of Manhattan. NSF director France Córdova was quoted saying,
“We can now share these images and videos, which are the most detailed of our sun to date. NSF’s Inouye Solar Telescope will be able to map the magnetic fields within the sun’s corona, where solar eruptions occur that can impact life on Earth. This telescope will improve our understanding of what drives space weather and ultimately help forecasters better predict solar storms.”
This is the sharpest movie of the Sun ever made. Even at this fine resolution, the scale is enormous; each plasma cell here is about the size of Texas. https://t.co/0G1VI3hrhi via @NatSolarObs pic.twitter.com/JYSDw1Grx6
— Corey S. Powell (@coreyspowell) January 29, 2020
Interestingly, the detailed photo is making people hungry by reminding them of caramel popcorn, rice crispy treats, and the humble chikki. Take a look.
Looks like Peanut Chikki pic.twitter.com/SdiZhEIsIK
— वि j य (@vijayrnair) January 30, 2020
Foodie in me 😁 pic.twitter.com/4ZYsPgjoh4
— Sheetal Mishra 🌼 (@itssitu) January 30, 2020
I think you mean poutine pic.twitter.com/DAKym8D6dL
— Mariah (@mariahkyla1) January 30, 2020
These are popcorn kernels and you can't tell me otherwise.
— Brady (@dabradybunch) January 29, 2020
Hmmm… pretty sure that’s just caramel corn. pic.twitter.com/Jj9BtaS8nG
— Matthew SNOWFLAKE❄️AF🤘😝🤘 (@mshalk) January 30, 2020
So the sun’s surface 🌞 looks like caramel popcorn? 🍿 How deliciously appropriate 😋 pic.twitter.com/jfXJZmQgWm
— Tony Cutrone (@TonyCutrone) January 30, 2020
The suns surface is making me hungry! pic.twitter.com/4nyKEEsGWx
— Charlotte Elizabeth Yeats (@charliie2724) January 30, 2020
the sun be like: pic.twitter.com/H3RlfTMhdN
— Good morning George how are you (@BestPinkieFan) January 29, 2020
it sorta looks like what happens to oatmeal when i put waayyyy too much brown sugar in it (aka the only way to eat oatmeal)
— enchilada enthusiast (@petiteandmighty) January 29, 2020
Looks like skin pattern pic.twitter.com/g0dGj64nXB
— MDR (@MDR46043826) January 30, 2020
— Nancy with the Laughing Face (@HotMamaSavage) January 30, 2020
Is it just me or does it look like caramel corn?? The moon is made of cheese, the sun is caramel corn… can't wait to discover what foods the rest of our planets are made of! 😁 (Yes, I'm being facetious. No, I'm neither serious nor insane.)
— Shauna Baker (@ShaunaViews) January 30, 2020
The NSF eventually hopes to measure the sun’s corona which is up to 500 times hotter than the surface. Isn’t that exciting?