The loops averaged 48.2 km in width—the thinnest probably 21 km wide—the smallest coronal loops ever imaged. This potential breakthrough in resolving the fundamental scale of solar coronal loops pushes the limits of flare modelling and may reshape how we understand the sun’s magnetic architecture. That is over two-and-a-half times sharper than the next-best solar telescope, and it is that leap in resolution that made this discovery possible. Theories have long suggested coronal loops could be 10-100 km wide, but confirming this range observationally had been impossible until now. “If that’s the case, we’re not just resolving bundles of loops; we’re resolving individual loops for the first time,” Tamburri added.