Scientists capture most detailed image of sunspot ever

Scientists recently captured the most detailed look at a sunspot ever seen.

At twice the resolution of previous images, the photo allows scientists to see a sunspot in intimate detail.

They used the National Science Foundation’s Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope on Maui in Hawaii.

Scientists don’t fully understand how and why sunspots form, but they know that the Sun enters periods of high and low activity, known as solar maximum and minimum, in an 11-year cycle.

And we know that at solar maximum, scientists observe more frequent sunspots.

These eruptions can sling radiation and plasma towards Earth, which slam into our atmosphere and create geomagnetic storms that disrupt our electricity and communications infrastructures.

With extremely high resolution images like this new one, scientists can more accurately build models of the Sun’s activity to protect us on Earth, as well as astronauts in space, from potentially harmful solar storms.