A photographer has shared a stunning image of the Sun on Instagram that he claimed to have captured with a modified telescope. In the photo, we can see spectacular detail of the heat that surrounds the biggest star of the solar system. Andrew McCarthy, who describes himself as "just a normal guy with a telescope", said he had to capture around 150,000 images of the Sun using a modified telescope. He then combined those photos to get this "incredible detail."
The composite image shows a chaotic ball of plasma (the fourth state of matter after solid, liquid, and gas) snaking up from the Sun's surface and bursts of energy stemming from areas of heightened magnetic activity, pushing and pulling and creating fascinating patterns on the solar surface.
"A detailed look at our star. Swipe to move in closer," said McCarthy, who goes by the handle cosmic_background on Instagram. He said the image is of 300 megapixels.
McCarthy has allowed anyone who wishes to download the image to get it here. The image has been titled "Fire and Fusion" and is available for $50 (roughly Rs. 3,766). The photographer said that the details on the solar surface show exactly how the Sun looked at 2 pm on November 29, "from the vantage point of my backyard".
We often see the Sun as only a massive ball of fire. But there's more enigma to it than possibly any other celestial object. For consideration, it's a source of life on Earth and without it, there will be darkness. Possibly this is the reason, the Sun attracts so much interest and generates curiosity. Astronomers try to keep a tab on everything that goes inside or around it, since even a small event could trigger spectacular consequences for us on Earth. And, now even amateur and trained photographers have joined forces.
