{"id":791391,"date":"2024-11-21T18:53:00","date_gmt":"2024-11-21T23:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=791391"},"modified":"2024-11-21T18:53:00","modified_gmt":"2024-11-21T23:53:00","slug":"gaze-at-new-pictures-of-the-sun-from-solar-orbiter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=791391","title":{"rendered":"Gaze at New Pictures of the Sun from Solar Orbiter"},"content":{"rendered":"


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74 million kilometres is a huge distance from which to observe something. But 74 million km isn\u2019t such a big deal when the object is the Sun.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s how far away from the Sun the ESA\/NASA Solar Orbiter was when it captured these new images. <\/p>\n

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The Solar Orbiter was launched in 2020 to investigate the Sun. It\u2019s studying the mechanism behind the Sun\u2019s solar wind, the complex dynamics of its magnetic field, and eruptions like solar flares and coronal mass ejections. That\u2019s just a sampling of its science goals.<\/p>\n

One item on the mission\u2019s long list of objectives is high-resolution images of the Sun\u2019s surface. For that, the spacecraft carries different imagers that operate in different wavelengths. This allows the spacecraft to almost peel back the Sun\u2019s layers and uncover relationships between them. <\/p>\n

The ESA has released four new images of the Sun, each one giving us a different look at our star: visible light, magnetic, plasma, and UV. These images were captured with the Polarimetric\u00a0and\u00a0Helioseismic\u00a0Imager\u00a0(PHI-German contribution) and Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI-Belgian contribution) instruments in March 2023. Each image is a composite of 25 images, all captured on the same day. They\u2019re the highest resolution images of the Sun ever taken.<\/p>\n

The images are remarkable for their detail. This image shows sunspots, regions that are darker and cooler than their surroundings. They appear where magnetic field lines are concentrated. The magnetic flux inhibits convection. Image Credit: ESA <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

According to Daniel M\u00fcller, Solar Orbiter\u2019s Project Scientist, the Sun\u2019s magnetic field is key to understanding the star. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe Sun\u2019s magnetic field is key to understanding the dynamic nature of our home star from the smallest to the largest scales. These new high-resolution maps from Solar Orbiter\u2019s PHI instrument show the beauty of the Sun\u2019s surface magnetic field and flows in great detail. At the same time, they are crucial for inferring the magnetic field in the Sun\u2019s hot corona, which our EUI instrument is imaging,\u201d M\u00fcller said. <\/p>\n

\"This
This magnetic map of the Sun from the Solar Orbiter shows how magnetic field lines and sunspots are correlated. Image Credit: ESA. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Solar Orbiter\u2019s PHI instrument also gives us a map of how plasma is moving around on the Sun\u2019s surface. Blue regions are moving toward the Orbiter, while red regions are moving away. <\/p>\n

\"The
The map of plasma movement clearly reflects the rotation of the Sun, with blue regions moving toward the orbiter and red regions moving away. However, it also shows how material is disoriented around the sunspots. Image Credit: ESA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The ultraviolet image of the Sun from the Solar Orbiter\u2019s EUI instrument is probably the most visually stunning. It shows what\u2019s happening above the photosphere, where glowing plasma extends out from sunspots. The plasma is superheated and follows the same magnetic lines that encourage the sunspots. <\/p>\n

\"The
The Sun\u2019s superheated plasma follow magnetic field lines and extends beyond the photosphere in the same regions the sunspots occur. Image Credit: ESA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Solar Orbiter\u2019s images are truly extraordinary. It\u2019s easy to lose yourself in them, and to wonder about Life, the Universe, Nature, Evolution, How Everything Came to Be, and your own mortality in the face of it all. <\/p>\n

\"Go
Go ahead and lose yourself in these images for a while. The economy won\u2019t grind to halt if you take a few moments. Image Credit: ESA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Now, back to your cubicle. <\/p>\n

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