Solar atmosphere seen in sharpest detail yet thanks to new adaptive optics

Solar atmosphere seen in sharpest detail yet thanks to new adaptive optics
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) May 28, 2025

A breakthrough in solar imaging technology is offering scientists their clearest view yet of the Sun's corona, the ultra-hot outer layer of the solar atmosphere. Researchers at the U.S. National Science Foundation's National Solar Observatory (NSO) and the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) have successfully applied adaptive optics-typically used for imaging the Sun's surface-to the corona, overcoming decades of atmospheric distortion that had hindered ground-based observations.

This achievement, published in Nature Astronomy, introduces a coronal adaptive optics system that dramatically improves resolution by compensating for Earth's atmospheric turbulence. Deployed at NJIT's Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) on the 1.6-meter Goode Solar Telescope (GST), the system-dubbed "Cona"-has produced unprecedentedly sharp videos and images of coronal features.

Funded by the NSF, the technology enables researchers to correct the blurring effects of air turbulence, akin to stabilizing an image in flight. "The turbulence in the air severely degrades images of objects in space, like our Sun, seen through our telescopes. But we can correct for that," explained Dirk Schmidt, NSO Adaptive Optics Scientist and lead developer of Cona.

Among the captured phenomena are detailed visualizations of solar prominences, rapidly evolving plasma streams, and exceptionally narrow strands of coronal rain-cooling plasma falling back to the solar surface. "These are by far the most detailed observations of this kind, showing features not previously observed, and it's not quite clear what they are," said Vasyl Yurchyshyn, NJIT-CSTR research professor and study co-author.

NSO Astronomer Thomas Schad noted, "Raindrops in the Sun's corona can be narrower than 20 kilometers," underscoring the leap in observational power. The insights gained are critical for testing computer models of solar activity and improving understanding of space weather, which can affect satellites, communications, and power grids on Earth.

Coronal heating remains a major unsolved mystery in solar physics. By resolving structures at small scales-down to 63 kilometers with the new system-the team hopes to unravel the interactions of hot and cool plasma in the corona, which could illuminate why it is so much hotter than the solar surface.

BBSO Optical Engineer Nicolas Gorceix likened the adaptive optics system to a high-speed stabilization mechanism, reshaping a mirror 2,200 times per second to preserve image clarity. While adaptive optics have long been used for surface observations, Cona is the first to make such resolution possible in the Sun's outer atmosphere.

Thomas Rimmele, NSO Chief Technologist and pioneer of solar adaptive optics, emphasized the system's significance: "The new coronal adaptive optics system closes this decades-old gap and delivers images of coronal features at 63 kilometers resolution-the theoretical limit of the 1.6-meter Goode Solar Telescope."

Plans are already in motion to extend the technology to the 4-meter NSF Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope in Hawai'i, potentially revealing even finer solar details. "This technological advancement is a game-changer," Schmidt said. "There is a lot to discover when you boost your resolution by a factor of 10."

"This transformative technology... is poised to reshape ground-based solar astronomy," added Philip R. Goode, distinguished NJIT professor and former BBSO director. "With coronal adaptive optics now in operation, this marks the beginning of a new era in solar physics."

Research Report:Observations of fine coronal structures with high-order solar adaptive optics