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Scientists take sharpest-ever photos of the Sun
PRINT ALL READINGS (PDF)Photos of the Sun - Level 0
Scientists used a telescope to take the best-ever photos of the Sun's surface. They show lots of details. There are hundreds of areas that look like twisters of fire. These could help us know more about the Sun's energy. A scientist said the Sun was a "unique laboratory". He said it can help us understand some basic laws of physics.
The photos are the closest ever to zoom in on the Sun. Scientists are interested in the borders between dark and bright regions of the Sun. This is where huge spirals of fire are made. These create lots of energy. Similar energy is created with ocean waves. Scientists say the photos will help us predict space weather one day.
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Photos of the Sun - Level 1
Scientists have used a solar telescope to take the best-ever photos of the Sun. The photos are of the Sun's surface. They show lots of details. The scientists found hundreds of areas of activity that look like twisters of fire. They could help us know more about the Sun's energy and solar flares. An astronomer was excited about the photos. He said the Sun was a "unique laboratory". He said: "It can help us understand some very basic laws of physics."
The new photos are the closest ever to zoom in on the Sun. They show a 5,000-km-wide area. Scientists are interested in the borders between the dark and bright regions of the Sun. This is where huge spirals of fire are made. It happens when two fluids meet at different speeds. This causes lots of energy. Similar energy is created with ocean waves. Enough energy will release a solar flare. The photos will help us predict space weather one day.
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Photos of the Sun - Level 2
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Astronomers have taken the best-ever photos of the Sun. The researchers used a solar telescope in Hawaii. They took very detailed images of the Sun's surface. These show lots of details about the solar surface. The scientists pointed out hundreds of areas of activity that look like twisters of fire. These might explain a lot about the Sun's energy. They could help us know more about solar flares. An astronomer was excited about the photos. He called the Sun a "unique laboratory". He said: "It can help us understand some very basic laws of physics."
The new images are the closest ever that scientists have zoomed in on the Sun. The photographs show a 5,000-km-wide area of the Sun. Scientists are interested in photos of the borders between the dark and bright regions of the Sun. This is where huge spirals of fire are made. It happens when two fluids move at different speeds and meet. This causes a build-up of energy. Similar energy is created with ocean water and waves. The astronomer said enough energy will release a solar flare. He said the photos could help us to "figure out and eventually predict space weather".
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Online activities | 8-page printable (PDF)
Photos of the Sun - Level 3
Astronomers have taken the best-ever photos of the Sun. A team of researchers used a solar telescope at the U.S. National Science Foundation in Hawaii. The researchers took very detailed images of the Sun's surface. The pictures show amazing new details about what is happening on the solar surface. In particular, the scientists pointed out hundreds of spiralling areas of activity, which look like twisters of fire. These might explain a lot about the Sun's energy and how solar flares are created. Astronomer Dr David Boboltz was excited about the photos. He called the Sun a "unique laboratory". He said: "It's our closest star, and it can help us understand some very basic laws of physics."
The new high-resolution images are the closest ever that scientists have zoomed in on the Sun. The photographs show a 5,000-km-wide area of our closest star. Scientists are particularly interested in photos that show what happens at the borders between the dark and bright regions of the Sun. This is where huge spirals of fire are created. It happens when two fluids move at different speeds and meet, causing a build-up of energy. A similar thing happens on Earth, but with ocean water, not fire. You can see this in ocean waves. Dr Boboltz said: "Once there's enough energy, it can then be released as a solar flare." He said the photos could help us to "figure out and eventually predict space weather".
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