The Sun – our nearest star and the powerhouse of the Solar System – is a far more dynamic and complex object than its familiar disc might suggest.
At times it appears calm and steady, but beneath that serene surface lies a world of dramatic, ever-changing activity.
This behaviour follows a natural rhythm: an 11-year solar cycle of increasing and decreasing solar activity.
More on the Sun
We are currently in the midst of Solar Cycle 25, a phase that began in 2019 and has since seen a marked rise in solar events, from flares to sunspots.
Although not the most active cycle on record – that title still belongs to Cycle 19 between 1954 and 1964, with 285 recorded sunspots in March 1958 – Cycle 25 is already proving to be more vigorous than its predecessor.
For solar scientists and photographers alike, this makes for an exciting time to observe our star.
Among those capturing the Sun in exceptional detail is Portuguese astrophotographer Miguel Claro, who specialises in high-resolution hydrogen-alpha imaging.
Using advanced equipment and observing techniques, Miguel documents the Sun’s surface and atmosphere as few others can.
His images reveal the seething, magnetic drama of solar prominences, flares, filaments, and granulation – phenomena that, though enormous in scale, unfold so slowly they are invisible to the naked eye without long, careful observation.
Here we showcase a selection of Miguel’s solar photographs – many accompanied by stunning 4K time-lapse video sequences.
These are not just beautiful images; they are scientific records of solar behaviour, captured safely using specialised telescopes, narrow-band filters, and expert knowledge.
What follows is a journey into the Sun’s dynamic outer layers, as seen through Miguel’s lens – from boiling surface granules to towering magnetic loops, and even the rare spectacle of a solar tornado in motion.
Remember: Do not attempt solar imaging without the correct equipment and training. Observing or photographing the Sun without appropriate safety measures can cause permanent eye damage or destroy unprotected cameras.
A solar tornado in action
"I spent two days in a row photographing a huge, swirling prominence – where magnetic fields lift material away from the Sun’s surface in loops and towers.
"On the second day – 24 April – I captured one of my longest-ever time-lapses: 3 hours and 46 minutes, made up of over half a million frames. The final video is just 18 seconds long, running at 30 frames per second – and I had no idea what I’d caught until I processed it.
"Turns out I’d filmed what looked like a giant solar tornado. It was wild – a massive structure, swirling away on the limb of the Sun.
"This is why I love shooting time-lapses – you just don’t see this kind of motion in a single frame. The Sun is 150 million kilometres (93 million miles) away, so even though it only takes eight minutes for the Sun's light to get to us, the scale of these structures makes them appear to move incredibly slowly – unless, of course, you happen to catch a coronal mass ejection (CME), which can change shape minute by minute."
The full solar disc in detail
"Shot on 28 February 2024, this image uses a new workflow I’ve been developing especially for full disc solar shots.
"The aim? To show the Sun’s surface in stunning detail, right up to the edge, while also keeping a smooth glow and ambience around the prominences.
"I didn’t do a time-lapse this time – just a still – but there’s loads happening in the frame. There’s a huge filament dead centre, and the monster Active Region 3590 heading towards the limb.
"According to the Spaceweather website, AR3590 is now the largest sunspot of Solar Cycle 25 and around 60% the size of the infamous Carrington Event spot from 1859. It even fired off three X-class flares in quick succession, including an X6.3 – the most powerful of the cycle so far.
"The image is shown in monochrome, which helps bring out all the fine details. I shot it at 12:09 UT using a Lunt LS100 telescope and a Player One Saturn-M SQR camera – a perfect combo for these full disc captures."
A solar prominence in motion
"Here’s one from 25 January 2023 – a close-up time-lapse of activity in the chromosphere, the lower layer of the Sun’s atmosphere, showing an arching prominence held in place by powerful magnetic forces.
"You can watch it twist and shift over time, with rapid eruptions happening below the Sun’s edge and delicate spicules flickering all around.
"Conditions were pretty good that day, so I managed a sequence of 383 images – enough for this 4K video."
A surprise X-class flare
"On 30 April 2022, I was out testing a new camera – the Player One Apollo-M Max – when I got a notification on my phone about a solar flare in progress.
"It was 13:47 UT and an X1-class flare, the most powerful, had just erupted from behind the limb, launched by sunspot AR2994.
"I dropped everything and swung the scope round to try to catch it before it faded.
"Despite some wobbly conditions, I got about 27 minutes of footage, which I combined with what I’d already been shooting that day. The end result is this 4K solar movie, spanning about 1.5 hours."
A dream come true
"Since I first got into solar imaging, I’ve wondered what it would take to photograph both the solar chromosphere and the corona, the outer layer of its atmosphere – not in one go, but as part of a single composite image.
"It seemed impossible, but I figured a total solar eclipse might just do the trick.
"Fast forward to 8 April 2024 – the total solar eclipse across the US. I’d already planned to photograph the corona in high definition from Texas, but I asked my friend James Sinclair to snap some shots of the chromosphere at the start and end of the eclipse, just before and after totality.
"That way, we’d avoid the Moon obscuring the view.
"Amazingly, everything went to plan – and the result is something really special: a realistic composite showing both the chromosphere’s structure and the sweeping loops and streamers of the corona, taken within minutes of each other.
"Even NASA’s SOHO spacecraft can’t capture the inner corona like this – it has to use a coronagraph that blocks the Sun’s disc entirely."
Granules in calcium light
"This was my first light with the Soleye 300 dual-band telescope, looking at the photosphere in calcium light using a Baader Ca-K 5nm filter.
"It’s a close-up of Active Region 4114, and if you look closely, you can see it’s surrounded by hundreds of tiny granules – convective cells that constantly shift and bubble away on the solar surface.
"Even in average seeing, I was blown away by the level of detail. This setup’s got serious potential, and I’m excited to push it further.
"Each image here is a stack of 200 frames, taken with the Apollo 428M Max Pro camera from Player One."
The mammoth
"Captured on 25 January 2022 from Dark Sky Alqueva, this sequence shows a massive solar prominence evolving over time.
"At one point, the shape looked just like a mammoth – trunk and all.
"It was a complete fluke, but one of those brilliant moments you never forget. It’s amazing what shapes the Sun can throw up when you’re paying attention."
Send your best solar images to us by emailing contactus@skyatnightmagazine.com
