The Sun’s magnetic field constantly blasts particles from its surface into space. On Earth, we experience this steady stream of charged particles as the regular solar wind, which fuels aurorae. But our planet also must deal with the occasional fallout from strong outbursts during particularly powerful solar storms. However, for all of the downstream effects Earth experiences thanks to the Sun’s magnetic field, the true nature of this enigmatic field remains one of Sun’s most elusive mysteries.

Now, new images are bringing scientists one step closer to understanding this important phenomenon by revealing, for the first time, the extremely fine details of our star’s magnetic field — details too intricate to have previously been seen.

Viewing the Sun’s delicate features

The new close-up images were taken by NASA’s High Resolution Coronal Imager, or Hi-C. They show never-before-seen bundles of delicate magnetic field lines threading across the Sun’s atmosphere. These lines, which trace the magnetic field itself, are visible thanks to the particles of million-degree plasma trapped within. Each field line is only about 310 miles (500 kilometers) across, about the driving distance between Chicago and Cleveland.