By DATASCIENTISTASSOC
iMAGES BY-Inouye Solar Telescope
The Inouye Solar Telescope has released eight new images of the sun, previewing the exciting science underway at the world's most powerful ground-based solar telescope.
The images feature a variety of sunspots and quiet regions of the sun obtained by the Visible-Broadband Imager (VBI), one of the telescope's first-generation instruments.
The sunspots pictured are dark and cool regions on the sun's "surface", known as the photosphere, where strong magnetic fields persist.
The sunspot observed by the Inouye Solar Telescope is about the same size as Earth.
The telescope's unique ability to capture data in unprecedented detail will help solar scientists better understand the sun's magnetic field and drivers behind solar storms.
Sunspots vary in size, but many are often the size of Earth, if not larger.
Complex sunspots or groups of sunspots can be the source of explosive events like flares.
The Inouye Solar Telescope is funded by the National Science Foundation.
The telescope is located on the island of Maui in Hawaii and is the largest solar telescope in the world.