Solar Close-up

The most detailed picture ever made of the Sun came out in November. Almost lifelike tendrils of hot gas are seen reaching into a sunspot, as if to dig at the secrets in its dark heart.

The maw of a sunspot. Zoom in!

Somewhat surprisingly, the image was made with a ground-based telescope. The new telescope on the Canary Islands, run by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, uses adaptive optics to create images more sharp than would otherwise be possible.

Further work from the telescope promises to give astronomers unprecedented insight into the many remaining mysteries of our nearest star.

Next Page: Black Hole Art