By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept

Science, Space & Technology

Space Science Digital
Contact
Search
  • Home
  • Environment

    observe one of winter’s best planetary nebulae

    February 20, 2023

    Leo’s magical galaxy pairing

    March 27, 2023

    See Mercury’s sodium tail in specially filtered photographs

    April 11, 2023

    Black hole and its jet imaged together for 1st time

    May 2, 2023
  • Space Flight

    Distant planet may be the first known to share its orbit with another

    July 19, 2023

    Our solar system might be 1.1 million years older than we thought

    August 1, 2023

    Russia chases former Soviet glory with Luna 25 moon mission

    August 10, 2023

    Launch Roundup: SpaceX to launch four missions, Progress MS-24 to resupply ISS

    August 21, 2023
  • Cosmology

    Parker Solar Probe Makes a Surprising Discovery About the Source of the Geminid Meteor Shower

    June 21, 2023

    Check out the Cool New Designs for Europe’s Future Spacesuits

    June 27, 2023

    Dark Matter Might Interact in a Totally Unexpected Way With the Universe

    July 1, 2023

    A Neutron Star is Unwinding a Companion Star

    July 10, 2023
  • Latest
  • About Us
Reading: New findings released from world’s most powerful solar telescope
Share
Aa
Space Science DigitalSpace Science Digital
  • Environment
  • Space Flight
  • Cosmology
  • Technology
Search
  • Home
  • Categories
    • Environment
    • Technology
    • Cosmology
    • Space Flight
  • More Foxiz
    • Blog Index
    • Forums
    • Complaint
    • Sitemap
Follow US
© 2023 Space Science Digital. All Rights Reserved.
Space Science Digital > Blog > News > New findings released from world’s most powerful solar telescope
News

New findings released from world’s most powerful solar telescope

By Jayden Hanson March 20, 2023 6 Min Read
Share


Contents
Decades of workMonitoring global risksHopes for the future
National Solar Observatory. Credit: National Science Foundation, Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy 

New research conducted as part of the science verification phase of the Visible Spectropolarimeter (ViSP) instrument at the National Science Foundation’s Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope is the first to use data from this instrument. It is hoped that the work will pave the way for future studies to enable a better understanding of the potential risks to key power and communications infrastructure.

The study, which is published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, was the result of an exciting collaboration between the U.K. and the National Science Foundation and marks an important milestone for the astronomical community and this ground-breaking telescope.

Decades of work

The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope is a four-meter solar telescope based in the island of Maui in Hawai’i. It is the largest and most powerful solar telescope in the world and was built as part of a multilateral international collaboration that began nearly three decades ago. It aims to improve our understanding of the sun and its role in space weather events.

STFC is a key partner in the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope collaboration and led a consortium of research organizations as part of the design phase of the telescope to develop cameras that were used to record data in this latest study.

STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) Space also collaborated with Observatory Sciences Ltd on the design of the control system for the telescope, which is essential to ensuring accurate positioning and image quality.

Monitoring global risks

Furthering our knowledge of the sun is important for understanding how space weather events could affect key technologies such as electrical and communication networks.

These events, driven by solar activity, could disrupt vital technological systems such as positioning and communications services and spacecraft operations and are already listed on the U.K. government’s risk register.

Researchers led by Dr. Ryan French, a former Ph.D. student at University College London’s Mullard Space Science Laboratory, utilized the unprecedented signal to noise ratio of the Visible Spectro-Polarimeter (ViSP) instrument on the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope.

This ability of the telescope enabled them to investigate the propagation of a phenomena known as an umbral flash within the lower solar atmosphere. Umbral flashes are instances of brightening in the sun’s chromosphere which travel via a sequence of waves and shocks.

The ViSP instrument is unique to the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, which measures solar activity by expanding incoming light into its components like a prism to create a “rainbow.” From this it can pick out almost any combination of wavelengths to record.

The data gathered by ViSP in the study provides new insights into how waves can travel in the low solar atmosphere, providing a small glimpse of what future data from the instrument will achieve.

Hopes for the future

Dr. Ryan French, now a solar physicist at the U.S. National Solar Observatory, said, “It’s been an exciting time to join the National Solar Observatory, and a privilege to be among the first people to publish results from a transformative facility like the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope. Our understanding of the solar atmosphere has progressed a lot in the last decade, as we begin to enter a golden age of solar physics with observations from the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, ESA’s Solar Orbiter and NASA’s Parker Solar Probe.

“Without the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, we would not be able to measure the variations of the magnetic field in the Sun’s chromosphere we observed in this study. This data is just a taster of the capabilities ViSP has to offer, and it is exciting to think what further discoveries the solar physics community will make with the telescope.”

More information:
Ryan J. French et al, First Observation of Chromospheric Waves in a Sunspot by DKIST/ViSP: The Anatomy of an Umbral Flash, The Astrophysical Journal Letters (2023). DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/acb8b5

Provided by
UK Research and Innovation

Citation:
New findings released from world’s most powerful solar telescope (2023, March 20)
retrieved 21 March 2023
from https://phys.org/news/2023-03-world-powerful-solar-telescope.html

This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.



TAGGED: Findings, powerful, released, solar, telescope, worlds

Sign Up For Daily Newsletter

Be keep up! Get the latest breaking news delivered straight to your inbox.
[mc4wp_form]
By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
Jayden Hanson March 20, 2023
Share this Article
Facebook Twitter Email Copy Link Print
Leave a comment Leave a comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

SUBSCRIBE NOW

Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!

[mc4wp_form]

HOT NEWS

Distant planet may be the first known to share its orbit with another

Space Flight
July 19, 2023

Is that this black gap jet making stars explode?

Again to Article Listing Greater than twice the anticipated quantity of novae have been discovered…

October 27, 2024

NASA Says Spacecraft Crash Test Successfully Changes Asteroid’s Orbit

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A spacecraft that plowed into a small, harmless asteroid millions…

October 11, 2022

World-Saving Spacecraft Passes Test

NASA says its DART spacecraft successfully shifted the path of an asteroid. For us earthlings,…

October 11, 2022

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

Proposed CASTOR Area Telescope Waits on Authorities

The proposed Canadian led Cosmological Superior Survey Telescope for Optical and uv Analysis, generally referred to by its acronym CASTOR,…

News
October 27, 2024

Dwelling (Alone) on Mars: Actor Daniel Stern on main NASA in ‘For All Mankind’

If there's certainly a multiverse the place in each attainable end result occurs, then in a type of universes Marv…

News
December 23, 2023

China Spacewalk: Photo voltaic Panel Restore Check

Picture credit score: China Nationwide Area Administration (CNSA)/China Central Tv (CCTV) The primary extravehicular exercise of the Shenzhou-17 mission was…

News
December 23, 2023

Watch large loop of plasma dance above the solar in gorgeous video

Miguel Claro is an expert photographer, writer and science communicator primarily based in Lisbon, Portugal, who creates spectacular pictures of…

News
December 23, 2023
We use our own and third-party cookies to improve our services, personalise your advertising and remember your preferences.
  • Jobs Board
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Exclusives
  • Learn How
  • Support
  • Solutions
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Editorial Policy
  • Marketing Solutions
  • Industry Intelligence

Follow US: 

Space Science Digital

Welcome to spacescience.digital, A source for the latest news and developments in the exciting field of space science. Our blog covers a wide range of topics, from the latest space missions and discoveries to updates on technology and scientific breakthroughs. We are passionate about sharing the wonders of the universe with our readers and providing them with engaging and informative content. Join us on this fascinating journey as we explore the mysteries of space and the frontiers of human knowledge.

© 2024 Space Science Digital. All Rights Reserved.

Removed from reading list

Undo
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?