These incredible close up images of the Sun reveal giant loops of plasma and fiery tendrils twisting above the star’s surface in some of astrophotographer AJ Smadi’s sharpest solar images to date.
Taken from Shoreline, Washington, USA, the glowing orange scenes were captured using a special solar telescope that reveals activity usually hidden from the naked eye. One striking image shows what is known as a “filaprom”, where a dark ribbon stretching across the Sun curves around the edge and bursts outward into space like a giant fiery wave.
AJ stacked around 8,000 individual frames for each image to bring out the extraordinary detail, capturing swirling plasma structures, dark sunspots and towering prominences bursting high above the solar surface. The images were taken at around midday on May 17, 2026.
Images by: AJ Smadi/TwoPointO Media
