Solar Orbiter sends back the closest photos of the Sun ever taken
Alison Klesman, Astronomy | Published: Thursday, July 16, 2020
Among these stunning shots are images of tiny, widespread hotspots called “campfires.”
Alison Klesman, Astronomy | Published: Thursday, July 16, 2020
Among these stunning shots are images of tiny, widespread hotspots called “campfires.”
The joint NASA/ESA Solar Orbiter satellite, which plans to spend the next seven to 10 years studying the Sun, just sent back the closest images of our home star ever taken. Among them are detailed views of the Sun’s magnetic field, as well as snapshots of tiny bright spots that scientists are calling “campfires.”
Launched February 9 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, Solar Orbiter will explore the forces that power the steam of particles constantly flowing from our Sun, called the solar wind. It will take about two years for the satellite to reach its final orbit. But once in place, its unique path will allow it to capture the very first high-resolution images of the Sun’s poles. It completed its first close pass of the Sun last month, coming within just 48 million miles (77 million kilometers) of our star. During this pass, the spacecraft’s suite of 10 instruments went to work observing our star and its surroundings.
Researchers wanted this data to simply confirm the instruments are working properly — which they are. But scientists didn’t expect to make new discoveries.