The brand new photos from the Solar Orbiter mission reveal stunning details of both the Sun’s visible surface and outer atmosphere.
No celestial body in our solar system is as dynamic and versatile as the sun. Scientists can’t wait to discover more about our mother star. The Solar Orbiter mission, led by ESA, studies the sun with no fewer than six advanced instruments. And ESA recently released the most detailed, highest resolution images ever.
New images
The new images can be admired below. They are composed of photographs taken by it Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager (PHI) of the spacecraft. This powerful instrument not only captures images in visible light, but also measures the direction of the magnetic field and accurately maps the speed and direction of movements on the sun’s surface. The images were captured when Solar Orbiter was within 74 million kilometers of the sun. From this close, the probe could only image a small part of the sun. After taking each image, the spacecraft had to rotate and tilt until the entire surface of the Sun was imaged.
Glowing hot plasma
Take a close look at the photo below. This reveals the visible ‘surface’ of the sun as it really is: glowing, hot plasma (charged gas) in continuous motion. Almost all of the sun’s radiation comes from this layer, which has a temperature between 4500 and 6000 degrees Celsius. Deeper in the sun, the hot, dense plasma is stirred in the ‘convection zone’, similar to the magma in our Earth’s mantle. This movement gives the sun’s surface a ‘grainy’ appearance.
This image shows the Sun in visible light, captured by the PHI instrument on board the Solar Orbiter spacecraft. The instrument collected red light with a wavelength of 617 nanometers. Image: ESA & NASA/Solar Orbiter/PHI Team
The most striking features in the photo are the sunspots. These appear as dark spots or holes in the otherwise smooth surface. Sunspots are colder than their surroundings, so they emit less light.
Magnetogram
The magnetic map or ‘magnetogram’ below shows that the Sun’s magnetic field is mainly concentrated around the sunspots. The field points outwards (red) or inwards (blue) at the locations where the sunspots are located. The strong magnetic field explains why the plasma in these spots is colder. Normally, convection transports heat from within to the surface, but this is disrupted by forcing charged particles to follow the dense magnetic field lines in and around the sunspots.
This image shows the direction of the magnetic field on the solar disk, as seen from our perspective. This type of map is also called a ‘magnetogram’. Image: ESA & NASA/Solar Orbiter/PHI Team
Movement
The speed and direction of the movement of material on the Sun’s surface can be seen in the photo below. Blue areas move towards the spacecraft, while red areas move away from it. This map shows that although the plasma on the Sun’s surface usually rotates with the Sun’s overall rotation, it is pushed outwards around the sunspots.
This tachogram shows the speed and direction of material moving on the visible surface of the sun. Image: ESA & NASA/Solar Orbiter/PHI Team
Mosaic
The photosphere measurements can now be directly compared to a new image of the Sun’s outer atmosphere (the corona), taken from high-resolution images captured by the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) instrument, which captures the sun in ultraviolet light. To create the complete images of the solar disk, all individual images were combined into a mosaic. Both the PHI and EUI mosaics consist of 25 images each, captured over a period of more than four hours. The solar disk in the mosaics has a diameter of almost 8,000 pixels, showing a stunning amount of detail.
Crown
The image below of the Sun in ultraviolet light reveals the Sun’s upper atmosphere, the corona. The most striking features in this image are the bright lines and loops emanating from active regions on the Sun’s surface. These correspond to the sunspots seen in the other photos above. Above the active sunspots you see glowing plasma that is ejected into space. The plasma, which reaches a temperature of a million degrees, follows the magnetic field lines that extend from the sun and often connect neighboring sunspots.
Image of the sun in ultraviolet light. Image: ESA & NASA/Solar Orbiter/EUI Team
Processing the images to assemble the PHI mosaics was a challenging and novel task. Now that this has been achieved, processing the data and creating mosaics will be faster in the future. The PHI team even expects to be able to deliver such detailed mosaics twice a year from now on. And that will likely lead to many more valuable insights in the future.
The Blazing Hot Gossip of the Sun: A Cheeky Dive into Solar Orbiter’s New Images
So, the Solar Orbiter mission has done it again! Those pesky scientists over at the ESA just couldn’t help themselves – they’ve dropped a treasure trove of images that make you rethink your tanning sessions. Honestly, if you thought your holiday was the highlight of the year, wait until you see these jaw-dropping pictures of our fiery mother star.
No celestial body has the theatrical flair of the Sun. It’s like the diva of the solar system: hot, temperamental, and forever in motion. The Solar Orbiter, led by the ESA, isn’t just a casual observer; it’s equipped with six advanced instruments strutting their stuff to capture the most detailed, high-resolution images of our sun—because what else do we need to worry about, right?
New Images That’ll Burn Your Retinas—In a Good Way!
Speaking of which, have you seen those new images? The Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager (PHI) onboard the spacecraft has been hard at work snapping selfies of the Sun, and wow, it’s like a reality show for distant hot plasma! The PHI doesn’t just snap pictures in visible light; it’s also got its fingers on the magnetic field, mapping how the Sun is swinging and swaying in its fiery dance.
Hold onto your hats—74 million kilometers from the Sun! This spacecraft got up close and personal enough that it could only grab a slice of the solar pie. After taking a shot, it had to do a little shimmy and shake (rotate and tilt) to catch the whole picture. Talk about commitment; I’ve seen people less dedicated to their gym selfies!
Glowing Hot Plasma: Not Just for Sci-Fi Movies!
Now, let’s chat about that mesmerizing photo featuring the Sun’s ‘surface’, which looks like it’s perpetually sweating. Yes, we’re talking about glowing hot plasma lurking around at a toasty temperature between 4500 and 6000 degrees Celsius. If you think your AC bill is high in the summer, I can’t even begin to imagine what that solar heat would do to your wallet!
And those notorious sunspots? They’re the dark, mysterious areas that seem to pop up like awkward family photos. Cold, dark, and moody—these bad boys absorb less heat and light than their luminous surrounding, adding a touch of drama to our beloved star.
Magnetograms: The Sun’s Undercover Agent!
The next feature to blow your mind is the magnetic map, or ‘magnetogram’, which is less about your old roommate’s dodgy haircut and more about the magnetic field clustering around sunspots. It’s got colors indicating if fields are pointing in (blue) or out (red), giving off some serious “I’ve got my life together” vibes. This strong magnetic field is what keeps the plasma in check, managing to make a sunspot cooler—even the sun has cooling periods, can you believe it?
Movement: It’s a Solar Dance Party!
And just when you thought it couldn’t get more exciting, we get to see the movement of materials on the Sun’s surface! The blue areas are sauntering towards the Solar Orbiter, while the red areas are doing the moonwalk (okay, not really, but you get the picture). It’s like watching an epic dance-off, where the plasma generally rotates but gets pushed away when sunspots mess with the groove. Solar drama at its finest!
Making Mosaics Like a Boss
Now let’s switch things up with a mosaic image that combines the sun’s outer atmosphere, or corona, captured by the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) instrument. Imagine a solar cake layered with 25 individual photos; it’s enough to make a food blogger weep! Smooth transitions and bright loops from active areas just scream “Look at me!” You’ll want to hang this on your wall next to the family portrait.
Crowning Glory: The Ultra Hot Corona!
The crown jewel of the images displays the corona, glowing at a million degrees Celcius. And those bright lines you see? That’s the plasma doing a little pirouette, following the magnetic field lines—to think, we get to peek at this cosmic ballet.
Flattening out all that data to create stunning mosaics was no small feat, but those clever folks over at ESA have cracked the code! The PHI team has promised faster and even more detailed mosaics down the line. Prepare yourselves for a flurry of solar insights arriving twice a year!
In Conclusion…
Next time you’re soaking up the sun or cursing its burning rays in July, remember, it’s got a lot more going on than just ruining your tan. Thanks to the Solar Orbiter, we have a front-row seat to the Sun’s fiery antics, reminding us just how magnificent and dynamic our little solar system’s superstar really is. And frankly, I can’t wait to see what it does next—finger crossed for a sunspot soap opera!
The latest images from the Solar Orbiter mission unveil breathtaking details of the Sun’s visible surface and its outer atmosphere.
No celestial body in our solar system is as dynamic and versatile as the Sun, our vital star. Scientists are eager to delve deeper into the mysteries of this celestial powerhouse. The Solar Orbiter mission, spearheaded by the European Space Agency (ESA), employs an array of six cutting-edge instruments designed specifically to study the Sun. Recently, ESA unveiled the most intricate and high-resolution images to date.
New images
The remarkable new images are presented below and are generated from photographs taken by the Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager (PHI) aboard the spacecraft. This advanced instrument not only captures stunning images in visible light but also provides critical measurements of magnetic field direction, while accurately mapping the speed and direction of various movements across the Sun’s surface. These impressive images were captured when the Solar Orbiter was positioned approximately 74 million kilometers from the Sun, allowing it to focus on a limited section of its massive surface. After capturing each image, the spacecraft had to undergo precise rotations and tilts to compile a complete visual representation of the Sun’s vast surface area.
Glowing hot plasma
Take a close look at the photo below. This reveals the visible ‘surface’ of the Sun as it truly exists: a mesmerizing landscape of glowing, heated plasma (ionized gas) in perpetual motion. Almost all of the Sun’s radiation radiates from this layer, which maintains a searing temperature between 4,500 and 6,000 degrees Celsius. Beneath this outer layer, the hot, dense plasma undergoes stirring in what is known as the ‘convection zone’, akin to the flow of magma within our planet’s mantle. This constant movement imparts a distinctive ‘grainy’ texture to the Sun’s surface.
The most striking features in the photo are the sunspots. These dark spots or holes stand out against the otherwise smooth plasma surface. Sunspots are significantly cooler than their surrounding areas, resulting in reduced light emission.
Magnetogram
The magnetic map, known as a ‘magnetogram’, shown below illustrates that the Sun’s magnetic field is predominantly concentrated around sunspots. The magnetic field lines are color-coded, with outward-pointing fields depicted in red and inward-pointing fields shown in blue. This strong magnetic field helps explain why plasma in these sunspot regions is cooler, as convection processes that typically transport heat from the Sun’s core to the surface are disrupted by the dense magnetic field lines that guide charged particles.
Movement
The speed and direction of surface material movement on the Sun can be observed in the photo below. Areas highlighted in blue are moving toward the spacecraft, while those in red are moving away from it. This map demonstrates that, although the plasma on the Sun’s surface generally rotates in sync with the star’s overall rotation, it is pushed outward around the sunspots due to the magnetic influence of these cooler regions.
Mosaic
The measurements of the photosphere can now be directly compared to new high-resolution images depicting the Sun’s outer atmosphere, or corona, captured by the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) instrument, which senses the Sun in ultraviolet light. To create comprehensive images of the solar disk, individual images were meticulously combined to form a mosaic. Each mosaic, consisting of 25 images taken over a duration of more than four hours, presents a solar disk with a remarkable diameter of nearly 8,000 pixels, revealing an astonishing level of detail.
Crown
The image capturing the Sun in ultraviolet light reveals the intricacies of the Sun’s upper atmosphere, the corona. The most striking features in this image are the bright lines and loops that extend from active regions on the Sun’s surface. These patterns correlate with the sunspots identified in the earlier photos. Above the active sunspot regions, one can observe glowing plasma being ejected into space, reaching temperatures of up to one million degrees Celsius and following the magnetic field lines that stretch from the Sun, often connecting neighboring sunspots.
Processing the images to construct the PHI mosaics presented significant challenges but yielded novel results. With this process now streamlined, future data processing and mosaic creation will be expedited. The PHI team anticipates delivering such detailed mosaics biannually moving forward, paving the way for numerous valuable insights in solar research.
What is the role of sunspots in influencing solar activity and space weather?
A is generally in a state of rotation, sunspots can influence local flow patterns, creating dynamic interactions that resemble a dance of high-energy materials. This swirling motion is a crucial aspect of solar activity, which affects space weather and can have consequences for technology and life on Earth.
Mosaicing to Perfection
The Solar Orbiter’s capability to create mosaic images combines individual captures to form a comprehensive view of the Sun’s features. This is accomplished through an intricate process involving the onboard Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI), which adds a layer of detail to the snapshots by observing the Sun’s corona—an ethereal and superheated outer atmosphere comprised of plasma that reaches temperatures of nearly a million degrees Celsius. Each mosaic comprises multiple individual images, seamlessly stitched together, showcasing the solar corona’s intricate structure and stunning magnetic field lines in a display that resembles a work of art.
The Crown Jewel
The latest images reveal dramatic details of the corona, with bright loops and arcs of plasma, illustrating how the Sun’s magnetic field directs the motion of charged particles. This stunning visual feast is a product of painstaking efforts by researchers who have developed methods to flatten out and assemble large quantities of data, enabling them to produce these breathtaking mosaics with greater efficiency. The PHI team anticipates that this streamlined process will yield new insights into solar phenomena, providing vital information for understanding space weather, solar wind, and their implications for Earth.
Looking Ahead
As we continue to explore the Sun, the Solar Orbiter will pave the way for future discoveries with its cutting-edge technology and robust scientific teamwork. With the promise of delivering comprehensive mosaics twice a year, keep your eyes peeled for more revelations from this fiery star as researchers unravel the secrets hidden within its dynamic atmosphere.
In summary, the latest findings from the Solar Orbiter not only deepen our knowledge of the Sun’s complex behaviors but also highlight the impressive capabilities of modern space science. As we gaze at these stunning images, let us remember how vital our Sun is—not just as light and warmth, but as a dynamic, ever-changing entity at the heart of our solar system.
