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This video shows a magnetic map of the Sun’s surface, recorded by the ESA-led Solar Orbiter mission between 11 February and 29 April 2025. Thanks to its newly and uniquely tilted orbit, the spacecraft got its first-ever clear views of the Sun’s south and north pole in this period.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The darker the colour (red\/blue), the stronger the magnetic field is along the line of sight from Solar Orbiter to the Sun. These maps were recorded by the mission’s Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager (PHI) instrument.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The strongest magnetic fields are found in two bands on either side of the Sun\u2019s equator. The dark red and dark blue regions highlight active regions, where magnetic field gets concentrated in sunspots on the Sun\u2019s surface.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, both the Sun\u2019s south and north poles are speckled with red and blue patches. This demonstrates that at small scales, the Sun\u2019s magnetic field has a complex and ever-changing structure.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Typically, you would expect to see a single magnetic polarity (north\/south) dominate at each pole. The fact that both polarities are visible right up to the poles is thanks to the Sun being at \u2018solar maximum\u2019, the phase of the solar cycle where the Sun’s magnetic field flips.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Over the next few years, Solar Orbiter will witness how the Sun’s magnetic field calms down to a more ordered state.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Read the full story here<\/p>\n
Solar Orbiter is a space mission of international collaboration between ESA and NASA. Solar Orbiter’s Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager (PHI) instrument is led by the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS), Germany.\u00a0\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n
[Video description:\u00a0<\/i>This magnetic map, captured by Solar Orbiter\u2019s PHI instrument, displays the Sun\u2019s surface as a yellow sphere overlaid with a grey grid of latitude and longitude lines. Patches of red and blue are scattered across the surface, representing regions of opposite magnetic polarity \u2013 blue for positive (towards the spacecraft) and red for negative (away from the spacecraft). These coloured areas vary in size and intensity, forming a mottled pattern that highlights the Sun\u2019s complex magnetic landscape. The image includes a timestamp and notes the spacecraft\u2019s distance from the Sun (0.763 astronomical units), offering a snapshot of solar magnetic activity.]<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n