Solar Telescope Sees 10km Sun Detail

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The world's largest solar telescope just got a major boost with its newest instrument that can see sun details as small as 6.2 miles across.

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Fifteen years in the making, the Visible Tunable Filtergraph (VTF) captures hundreds of images in seconds using specialized light-filtering technology.

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Scientists call the VTF "the heart" of the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, which sits atop Maui's Haleakalā mountain in Hawaii.

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The powerful new "eye" can spot sunspots - the darker, cooler regions where solar storms begin - with unprecedented clarity.

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Solar storms like the one in the 1800s that set telegraph stations on fire could severely damage today's electrical grids and satellites.

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The VTF will help scientists track magnetic fields and plasma flows to better predict dangerous space weather events that threaten Earth.

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While the VTF has captured its first images, it won't be fully operational until 2026, when it will begin a 44-year mission studying the sun.

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The telescope's timing couldn't be better - we're currently at solar maximum, the peak of the sun's 11-year activity cycle.

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