An artist’s representation of twisting magnetic waves (inset) revealed for the first time by the NSF Inouye Solar Telescope. These upward-traveling torsional waves coexist with other wave types and may be an essential ingredient in solving the mystery of why the Sun’s atmosphere is so hot. For more information see Morton et al. (2025). Credit: NSF/NSO/AURA/J. Williams Researchers have made a major leap in solar physics by finding the first direct evidence of small-scale torsional Alfvén waves