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'Raindrops in the sun's corona': New adaptive optics shows stunning details of our star's atmosphere
https://phys.org/news/2025-05-raindrops-sun-corona-optics-stunning.html
The sun's corona—the outermost layer of its atmosphere, visible only during a total solar eclipse—has long intrigued scientists due to its extreme temperatures, violent eruptions, and large prominences. However, turbulence in Earth's atmosphere has caused image blur and hindered observations of the corona. A recent development by scientists from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) National Solar Observatory (NSO), and New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), is changing that by using adaptive optics to remove the blur.
As published in Nature Astronomy, this pioneering "coronal adaptive optics" technology has produced the most astonishing, clearest images and videos of fine-structure in the corona to date. This development will open the door for deeper insights into the corona's enigmatic behavior and the processes driving space weather.
This image of a solar prominence is a snapshot of a 19-minute time-lapse movie showing how plasma "dances" and twists with the sun's magnetic field. This image was taken by the Goode Solar Telescope at Big Bear Solar Observatory using the new coronal adaptive optics system Cona. The image shows the hydrogen-alpha light emitted by the solar plasma. The image is artificially colorized, yet based on the color of hydrogen-alpha light, and darker color is brighter light. Credit: Nature Astronomy (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41550-025-02564-0
Most detailed coronal images to date revealed
Installed at the 1.6-meter Goode Solar Telescope (GST), operated by NJIT's Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research (CSTR) at Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) in California, "Cona"—the adaptive optics system responsible for these new images—compensates for the blur caused by air turbulence in Earth's atmosphere —similar to the bumpy air passengers feel during a flight.
"The turbulence in the air severely degrades images of objects in space, like our sun, seen through our telescopes. But we can correct for that," says Dirk Schmidt, NSO Adaptive Optics Scientist who led the development.
. . .
As published in Nature Astronomy, this pioneering "coronal adaptive optics" technology has produced the most astonishing, clearest images and videos of fine-structure in the corona to date. This development will open the door for deeper insights into the corona's enigmatic behavior and the processes driving space weather.
This image of a solar prominence is a snapshot of a 19-minute time-lapse movie showing how plasma "dances" and twists with the sun's magnetic field. This image was taken by the Goode Solar Telescope at Big Bear Solar Observatory using the new coronal adaptive optics system Cona. The image shows the hydrogen-alpha light emitted by the solar plasma. The image is artificially colorized, yet based on the color of hydrogen-alpha light, and darker color is brighter light. Credit: Nature Astronomy (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41550-025-02564-0
Most detailed coronal images to date revealed
Installed at the 1.6-meter Goode Solar Telescope (GST), operated by NJIT's Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research (CSTR) at Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) in California, "Cona"—the adaptive optics system responsible for these new images—compensates for the blur caused by air turbulence in Earth's atmosphere —similar to the bumpy air passengers feel during a flight.
"The turbulence in the air severely degrades images of objects in space, like our sun, seen through our telescopes. But we can correct for that," says Dirk Schmidt, NSO Adaptive Optics Scientist who led the development.
. . .
Some incredible videos are available in the article.
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