This light-bending tech will let scientists see the sun like never before

This light-bending tech will let scientists see the sun like never before

New telescope uses a technique called coronal phase tomography to image the sun's corona in unprecedented detail

A new telescope is using a technique called coronal phase tomography to image the sun's corona in unprecedented detail. The corona is the outermost layer of the sun's atmosphere, and it is extremely hot, reaching temperatures of millions of degrees. It is also very faint, making it difficult to observe.

The new telescope, called the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, is located on Haleakala, a dormant volcano in Hawaii. It uses a 4-meter mirror to collect light from the sun. The light is then passed through a series of filters that block out the bright light from the sun's surface, allowing scientists to see the faint corona.

The coronal phase tomography technique uses multiple images of the corona taken from different angles. These images are then combined to create a 3D map of the corona. This technique is similar to the way that doctors use CT scans to create 3D images of the inside of the body.

The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope is the first telescope to use coronal phase tomography to image the sun. The telescope is expected to provide new insights into the corona, including its temperature, density, and magnetic field. This information could help scientists better understand how the sun affects Earth's climate.

"The Inouye Telescope is a game-changer for solar astronomy," said John Leibacher, director of the National Solar Observatory. "It will allow us to study the sun in ways that were never before possible."

The telescope is named after Daniel K. Inouye, a Japanese-American politician who served as a U.S. senator from Hawaii from 1962 to 2012. Inouye was a strong supporter of science and education.

The construction of the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope began in 2013 and was completed in 2019. The telescope cost $343 million to build.

The telescope is already providing scientists with new data about the sun. In 2020, scientists used the telescope to observe a coronal mass ejection, a burst of plasma from the sun that can interfere with satellites and power grids.

The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope is expected to continue to make important discoveries about the sun for many years to come.

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