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Back in 2023, we reported on Solar Orbiter\u2019s discovery of tiny jets near the Sun\u2019s south pole that could <\/i>be powering the solar wind. The team behind this research has now used even more data from the European Space Agency\u2019s prolific solar mission to confirm that these jets exist all over dark patches in the Sun\u2019s atmosphere, and that they really are a source of not only fast but also slow solar wind.<\/p>\n
The newfound jets can be seen in this sped-up video as hair-like wisps that flash very briefly, for example within the circled regions of the Sun’s surface. In reality they last around one minute and fling out charged particles at about 100 km\/s.<\/p>\n
The surprising result is published today in Astronomy & Astrophysics, highlighting how Solar Orbiter\u2019s unique combination of instruments can unveil the mysteries of the star at the centre of our Solar System.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0solar wind\u00a0is the never-ending rain of electrically charged particles given out by the Sun. It pervades the Solar System and its effects can be felt on Earth. Yet despite decades of study, its origin remained poorly understood. Until now.<\/p>\n
The solar wind comes in two main forms: fast and slow. We have known for decades that the fast solar wind comes from the direction of dark patches in the Sun\u2019s atmosphere called coronal holes \u2013 regions where the Sun\u2019s magnetic field does not turn back down into the Sun but rather stretches deep into the Solar System.<\/p>\n
Charged particles can flow along these \u2018open\u2019 magnetic field lines, heading away from the Sun, and creating the solar wind. But a big question remained: how do these particles get launched from the Sun in the first place?<\/p>\n
Building upon their previous discovery, the research team (led by Lakshmi Pradeep Chitta at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Germany) used Solar Orbiter\u2019s onboard \u2018cameras\u2019 to spot more tiny jets within coronal holes close to the Sun\u2019s equator.<\/p>\n
By combining these high-resolution images with direct measurements of solar wind particles and the Sun\u2019s magnetic field around Solar Orbiter, the researchers could directly connect the solar wind measured at the spacecraft back to those exact same jets.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s more, the team was surprised to find not just fast solar wind coming from these jets, but also slow solar wind. This is the first time that we can say for sure that at least some of the slow solar wind also comes from tiny jets in coronal holes \u2013 until now, the origin of the solar wind had been elusive.<\/p>\n
The fact that the same underlying process drives both fast and slow solar wind comes as a surprise. The discovery is only possible thanks to Solar Orbiter\u2019s unique combination of advanced imaging systems, as well as its instruments that can directly detect particles and magnetic fields.<\/p>\n
The measurements were taken when Solar Orbiter made close approaches to the Sun in October 2022 and April 2023. These close approaches happen roughly twice a year; during the next ones, the researchers hope to collect more data to better understand how these tiny jets \u2018launch\u2019 the solar wind.<\/p>\n
Solar Orbiter is a space mission of international collaboration between ESA and NASA, operated by ESA. This research used data from Solar Orbiter\u2019s Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI), Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager (PHI), Solar Wind Plasma Analyser (SWA) and Magnetometer (MAG). <\/i>Find out more<\/i>\u00a0about the instruments Solar Orbiter is using to reveal more about the Sun.<\/i><\/p>\n
Read our news story from 2023 about how Solar Orbiter discovered tiny jets that could power the solar wind<\/i><\/p>\n
Read more about how Solar Orbiter can trace the solar wind back to its source region on the Sun<\/i><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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