The European Space Agency, which co-manages the mission with NASA, will share the first images and data within a few weeks, as it will take time to retrieve and analyze all the data collected during the flight, according to ESA. The 10 instruments of the Solar Orbiter will operate simultaneously, ready to measure the solar wind and monitor the mini-flares, called campfires, which the researchers spy on in the first images of the mission in 2020. The spacecraft also carries high-resolution telescopes. The data collected during the flight could help scientists unlock some of the biggest remaining solar mysteries, including why and how the temperature rises in the sun’s atmosphere. The Solar Orbiter will also capture high-resolution images of the sun and record the solar wind, an activated flow of particles flowing away from the sun. “From this point on, we’re going into the unknown ‘about the Solar Orbiter’s observations of the Sun,” Daniel Müller, a Solar Orbiter scientist, said in a statement.
Amazing images
The latest images released by the Solar Orbiter provide a new perspective on the sun that captures unprecedented detail, including the highest resolution image ever taken of the sun’s outer atmosphere. The images were taken on March 7 as the spacecraft crossed the Earth and the Sun directly. The spacecraft was halfway between the two celestial bodies, about 46 million miles (74 million kilometers) from the sun. One shot, taken using the Spectral Imaging of the Coronal Environment instrument, called SPICE, is the first complete solar image of its kind in 50 years, shown in ultraviolet light. Different wavelengths of light can help researchers study the temperature differences between the solar surface and the sun’s crown or outer atmosphere. The crown can reach one million degrees Celsius (1.8 million degrees Fahrenheit), while the surface is 5,000 degrees Celsius (9,000 degrees Fahrenheit). The Solar Orbiter could help determine why the temperature seems to be rising away from the core of the sun, instead of falling. This is just one of the first close passes of the Solar Orbiter Sun, with many more flights planned to bring it closer and closer to the star in the coming years. Gradually, the spacecraft will increase its orientation to study the polar regions of the sun that they have never seen before. The Solar Orbiter is equipped with a multi-layer thermal shield, a special coating called “Solar Black” made of burnt bone, sliding doors that protect its instruments, solar panels that can remove the worst elements of heat and cold in space . Together, these prevent the spacecraft from melting as it studies the sun.
Warming up
The sun is becoming more active and the Solar Orbiter is watching its eruptions. A large solar flare erupted from the sun on March 2. The explosion was rated as M-class, the fourth strongest of the five categories that measure the intensity of solar flare. An explosion of this power could cause short radio interruptions at the Earth’s poles and small radiation storms that could endanger astronauts on the International Space Station, according to NASA. Extreme Ultraviolet Imager on the Solar Orbiter recorded a video of the dramatic event. Meanwhile, the Parker Solar Probe, which became the first spacecraft to “touch the sun” in late 2021, recently hit the edge of a large solar ledge when the sun released tons of charged particles in the direction of Parker on February 15th. flares and thunderstorms – such as the February 15 eruption (also recorded by the Solar Orbiter) or the solar storm that struck SpaceX’s Starlink satellites in February – appear to occur more frequently because the sun increases activity as it goes to the solar maximum. It is important to understand the solar cycle, because solar-induced space weather – explosions such as solar flares and corona mass eruptions – can affect the grid, satellites, GPS, airlines, rockets and astronauts in space. Every 11 years, the sun completes a solar cycle of calm and stormy activity and begins a new one. The current solar cycle, Solar Cycle 25, officially started in December 2019 and the next solar peak, when the sun experiences maximum activity, is projected to occur in July 2025. During a solar cycle, the sun shifts from a calm period to a very intense and active period. This activity is monitored by counting sunspots and how many are visible over time. Sunspots, or dark spots in the sun, are the source of explosive flashes and eruptions that release light, solar material, and energy into space. This puts the Solar Orbiter and Parker Solar Probe in a perfect position for monitoring as we head towards the solar maximum.
