The Sun as You Never Seen it Before by Solar Orbiter

Solar Orbiter closest approach to the Sun, known as perihelion, took place on 26 March. The spacecraft was inside the orbit of Mercury, at about one-third the distance from the Sun to the Earth, and its heatshield was reaching around 500°C. But it dissipated that heat with its innovative technology to keep the spacecraft safe and functioning.

Solar Orbiter carries ten science instruments – nine are led by ESA Member States and one by NASA – all working together in close collaboration to provide unprecedented insight into how our local star ‘works’. Some are remote-sensing instruments that look at the Sun, while others are in-situ instruments that monitor the conditions around the spacecraft, enabling scientists to ‘join the dots’ from what they see happening at the Sun, to what Solar Orbiter ‘feels’ at its location in the solar wind millions of kilometres away.

When it comes to perihelion, clearly the closer the spacecraft gets to the Sun, the finer the details the remote sensing instrument can see. And as luck would have it, the spacecraft also soaked up several solar flares and even an Earth-directed coronal mass ejection, providing a taste of real-time space weather forecasting, an endeavour that is becoming increasingly important because of the threat space weather poses to technology and astronauts.

The images are really breathtaking,” says David Berghmans, Royal Observatory of Belgium, and the Principal Investigator (PI) of the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) instrument, which takes high-resolution images of the lower layers of the Sun's atmosphere, known as the solar corona. This region is where most of the solar activity that drives space weather takes place.

The task now for the EUI team is to understand what they are seeing. This is no easy task because Solar Orbiter is revealing so much activity on the Sun at the small scale. Having spotted a feature or an event that they can’t immediately recognise, they must then dig through past solar observations by other space missions to see if anything similar has been seen before.

Comments

Scientists Finally Confirm the First-Ever Lone Black Hole — And It’s Closer Than You Think!

Astronomers have just made history — and it’s a cosmic game-changer. For the first time ever, scientists have confirmed the existence of a completely isolated black hole floating alone through the Milky Way, untethered to any star or companion. This discovery not only marks a major breakthrough in astrophysics but also proves that our galaxy may be filled with more “rogue” black holes than we ever imagined. The existence of isolated black holes had long been predicted by theory. After all, when massive stars end their lives in supernova explosions, they often collapse into black holes. But if no companion star remains nearby, spotting these invisible monsters becomes nearly impossible. Until now, the evidence was purely circumstantial. Thanks to years of patient observation using the Hubble Space Telescope and precise gravitational microlensing techniques, a team of scientists has finally caught one in the act — and it’s closer to Earth than anyone expected. The...

After Pope Francis’ Shocking Death, Who Will Become the Next Pope? Meet the Top Contenders

In a historic and emotional moment, the world mourns the death of Pope Francis, a leader known for his humility, reforms, and global influence. As millions grieve, attention now shifts to the ancient and secretive process that will determine his successor: the papal conclave. In the heart of the Vatican, preparations are underway for an event that will shape the future of the Catholic Church for decades to come. Who will ascend to the highest spiritual office on Earth? Let’s dive into what’s happening behind the scenes and meet the top contenders poised to become the next Pope. The papal conclave — a centuries-old tradition — will bring together 120 cardinals from across the world to cast their votes inside the Sistine Chapel. These cardinals, all under the age of 80, are tasked with choosing the next spiritual leader from among themselves. The conclave is steeped in ritual, mystery, and absolute secrecy. Once locked inside, no communication with the outside world is allowed until wh...

LOOK UP! Rare ‘Smiley Face’ Planetary Alignment Will Light Up the Sky on April 25 – And It Won’t Happen Again Soon

The night sky is about to show off in the most unexpected way! On April 25, 2025, a rare and charming celestial event will grace the heavens—a planetary alignment that looks like a glowing smiley face . Yes, you read that right! The Moon, Venus, and Jupiter will align in a perfect arc, creating a brilliant smile in the sky that’s got astronomers and stargazers buzzing with excitement. This delightful cosmic configuration doesn’t happen often, and when it does, it captures imaginations around the world. Venus and Jupiter, two of the brightest planets visible from Earth, will serve as the “eyes,” while the crescent Moon forms the curve of a celestial “smile.” The event will be visible to the naked eye just after sunset, especially from locations with a clear western horizon. The last time a similar formation was visible was back in 2008, and it won’t return in quite the same way for years. For many space lovers, this is a once-in-a-generation moment. Social media has alre...

Jabar Space News🚀

Search This Blog