Solar Orbiter Captures Most Detailed Images of the Sun's Surface

ESA and NASA's Solar Orbiter spacecraft reveals unprecedented high-resolution views of the Sun, offering new insights into its magnetic fields, plasma flows, and dynamic processes.

The Solar Orbiter, launched in 2020, captured the highest-resolution images of the Sun's photosphere, magnetic fields, and corona from a distance of 74 million kilometers in March 2023.
The images, composed of 25 individual shots, showcase sunspots, plasma flows, and intricate magnetic field structures, providing a detailed view of the Sun's dynamic surface and outer atmosphere.
The Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager (PHI) mapped the Sun's magnetic fields and plasma movements, revealing how sunspots disrupt convection and influence solar activity.
The Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) captured the Sun's corona, showing superheated plasma extending along magnetic field lines and contributing to solar wind.
These groundbreaking visuals will aid scientists in understanding the Sun's magnetic field, solar wind mechanisms, and the 11-year solar activity cycle.