The Solar Orbiter, launched jointly by NASA and the European Space Agency on February 9, 2020, has transmitted its first images to Earth. On them from a record close distance captured crown of the sun - these are the upper layers of the star's atmosphere, incandescent to temperatures over a million degrees.
Solar Orbiter took photos at a distance of 77 million kilometers. Parker probe picked up closer, flying up to the luminary by about 18.6 million kilometers. But it was not designed to take pictures of the star.
Scientists saw relatively small but numerous flares in the Solar Orbiter images, called campfires. Why they are formed is still unknown. It is assumedthat it is thanks to them that the solar corona is hotter than the surface.
And the following animation, compiled from a series of shots, shows how these flashes behave in motion.
Photo series: Solar Orbiter / EUI Team (ESA and NASA); CSL, IAS, MPS, PMOD / WRC, ROB, UCL / MSSL
Studying the findings will help you better understand star device and how it affects our planet and outer space nearby.
The flight to the Sun was thorny. So, due to the coronavirus, the personnel who operated the probe had to work from home. And on approach, the spacecraft almost collided with the ionic and dusty tail of the comet ATLAS. Dangerous convergence happened twice - June 1 and 6. Nevertheless, the mission continues successfully.
You can see more images of the Sun in better quality in Solar Orbiter gallerycreated by ESA.
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