NEVER has the sun been seen in quite this way. This dazzlingly detailed shot of our star was recently created in the aftermath of a solar tornado of record proportions that was whipping up the sun鈥檚 atmosphere. Titled (pictured above), it is the result of a painstaking five-day collaboration between astrophotographers Jason Guenzel and Andrew McCarthy, who are 鈥渁lways looking for fresh and creative ways to present views of the universe鈥�, says Guenzel.
On 14 March, churning plasma at the sun鈥檚 surface, caused by the rotation of its magnetic fields, resulted in a 鈥渢ornado鈥� forming at its north pole. This grew into a protruding filament 鈥�14 Earths tall鈥�, according to McCarthy, or 178,000 kilometres 鈥� the tallest solar tornado ever recorded (pictured above). The blistering event lasted three days before exploding into a cloud of plasma that was ejected into space.
The pair combined more than 90,000 separate photos of the sun taken by McCarthy with a high-speed camera during this colossal event, as well as a 2017 shot by Guenzel of the sun鈥檚 outer layer, or corona, visible during a total solar eclipse. Guenzel says it is the 鈥渕ost detailed and dynamic鈥� image of the sun he and McCarthy have ever produced, in what was an 鈥渁stounding鈥� result. The image above is a further close-up of the main picture.
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鈥淪olar photography is an exercise in discipline, perseverance and even some luck,鈥� says Guenzel. 鈥淏y combining our talents, we were able to blend art and science, creating a wonderfully unique composite view of the sun.鈥�
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