Swirling, vortex-like patterns observed on the sun's surface

Published on 6 Aug 2026 4:24:17 PM

Astronomers have obtained the highest-resolution images to date of our sun's visible surface, observing swirling, vortex-like patterns in superheated solar gases reminiscent of the shapes depicted in the nocturnal sky in Vincent van Gogh's 1889 painting "The Starry Night."

The researchers made the observations of a portion of the sun's photosphere, a relatively thin layer — about 100 km in depth compared to the overall solar diameter of roughly 1.4 million km — using the U.S. National Science Foundation's Hawaii-based Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope.

WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news
SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar
LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline