Hawaii telescope captures stunning images of the sun’s surface

HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - From the “House of The Sun” on Maui comes the most detailed look at the sun to date.

Images captured by scientists at the Daniel K. Inouye Telescope on Haleakala provided a stunning view of our closest star.

In the images, the surface of the sun shows gas bubbles ― each one estimated to be the size of Texas.

Scientists say the ability to photograph the sun is a major advancement that could unlock the answers to scientific questions.

The imagery could reveal why its outer atmosphere is more than a million degrees.

“It is literally the biggest jump in humanity’s ability to study the Sun from the ground since Galileo’s time, so it’s a big deal,” UH Manoa Professor Jeff Kuhn said.

The images were captured last month.

They hope the telescope will eventually help them track solar activity that can cause blackouts, disrupt air travel and affect GPS technology here on Earth.

It will be fully operational by July.

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