Overview

• The probe traversed an eruption-associated reconnection zone on September 6, 2022, directly sampling plasma and magnetic fields.
• The observed signatures align with decades of numerical simulations within reported uncertainties, tightening constraints on reconnection models.
• ESA’s Solar Orbiter supplied complementary imaging that, combined with PSP diagnostics, pinpointed the coronal reconnection site.
• The findings connect reconnection physics characterized by NASA’s MMS in Earth’s magnetosphere to solar-scale processes that drive flares and CMEs.
• Researchers are leveraging the dataset to probe turbulence, wave activity and particle acceleration to strengthen space‑weather forecasting.