For the first time, tiny swirls have been detected on the surface of our closest star, the Sun. Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, or KHI, occurs when two fluid layers move next to each other at different speeds. This was reported for the first time on August 5, 2026 in Nature.

This is the closest photo of the sun’s surface ever captured. It shows swirling whirlpools of magnetized plasma.

Scientists believe that these swirls on the surface of the sun could result in solar flares.