The Sun’s smallest loops ever seen in stunning new images

Astronomers using the Inouye Solar Telescope have captured the sharpest-ever images of a solar flare, revealing coronal loops as thin as 21 km wide. These threadlike plasma structures, imaged during an X1.3-class flare, confirm long-standing theories about loop scales and may represent the fundamental building blocks of flare activity. The discovery pushes solar science into new territory, opening doors to improved space weather forecasting and deeper understanding of magnetic reconnection.