APOD: 2026 August 6 – New Sharpest Image of the Sun Uncovers Instability
APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 August 6 – New… Today’s APOD Archive Submissions Index Search Calendar RSS Education About Discuss APOD Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. New Sharpest Image of the Sun Uncovers Instability Explanation: What does the new sharpest image of our Sun show? Instability. To be clear, a certain kind of interactive process called the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (KHI). This instability can create waves and swirls when two streams flow past each other — in this case variable streams of solar magnetic plasma . Long hypothesized to occur on the Sun’s surface , KHI streaks and swirls were confirmed in just-released dramatic high-resolution images taken recently by the Inouye Solar Telescope in Hawaii , USA . The featured ...