Solar Orbiter spacecraft snaps first images of Sun’s south pole

The European Space Agency’s Solar Orbiter spacecraft has successfully transmitted the first-ever video and images of the Sun’s south pole back to Earth.

These novel images allow scientists to explore how the Sun transitions between intense storm periods and quieter phases.

Understanding this is crucial, as heightened solar activity can disrupt satellite communications and even disable power grids on our planet.

The latest visuals illustrate a vibrant, shimmering atmosphere with regions soaring to a million degrees Celsius. Amidst this are darker gas clouds, which, while cooler, still reach temperatures of a staggering one hundred thousand degrees.

These new images are the closest and most detailed ever captured of the Sun, offering insights into how this vital star functions, as noted by Prof Carole Mundell, ESA’s Director of Science.

“Today we unveil humanity’s inaugural views of the Sun’s pole,” she states.

“As our nearest star and provider of life, as well as a potential disruptor of modern satellite and power systems, it is essential we comprehend its behavior and learn to anticipate its patterns.”

From our perspective on Earth, the Sun appears as a brilliant, featureless disc. However, when viewed at various frequencies with specialized filters, it reveals its true character as a dynamic sphere, its magnetic fields shifting and generating flares and gas loops in its atmosphere.

These magnetic fields dictate when the Sun erupts and ejects particles toward Earth.

During periods of calm, the Sun’s magnetic fields remain organized, maintaining stable north and south poles. At this time, the Sun refrains from producing explosive outbursts. However, every 11 years, these fields become increasingly complex and chaotic as they reorient.

During these tumultuous times, as the Sun attempts to simplify itself, particles are hurled towards Earth. These solar storms can disrupt communication satellites and power grids, but they also create stunning auroras in our skies.

Prof Lucie Green from UCL emphasizes the challenge in forecasting this activity using computer models due to the lack of data on the movement of magnetic fields towards the poles. This situation has now changed.

“We now possess the missing piece of the puzzle,” she shared with BBC News.

“Understanding the reversal of the polar magnetic fields on the Sun has been a major unresolved topic in science. With Solar Orbiter, we can measure, for the first time, the crucial fluid flows that carry segments of the magnetic field across the Sun to the polar regions.”

The ultimate aim is to create computer models of the Sun to predict this so-called space weather. Accurate forecasts will empower satellite operators, power distribution firms, and aurora enthusiasts to better prepare for severe solar storms.

“This represents the Holy Grail of solar physics,” remarks Prof Christopher Owen, an expert in solar wind studies using data from the spacecraft.

“Solar Orbiter will allow us to unravel some of the foundational science behind space weather. However, further work is necessary before we can reliably detect signals on the Sun that can predict eruptions impacting Earth.”

Solar Orbiter has also captured fresh images depicting chemical elements in various layers of the Sun along with their movements. These images are obtained using an instrument called SPICE, which detects specific light frequencies, known as spectral lines, emitted by designated chemical elements such as hydrogen, carbon, oxygen, neon, and magnesium at defined temperatures.

For the first time, the SPICE team has tracked spectral lines to gauge the speed at which clumps of solar material move, offering insights into how particles are ejected from the Sun in the form of solar wind.