Unique Images. Astronomers Capture the South Pole of the Sun for the First Time.

Scientists, thanks to the Solar Orbiter mission, have managed to capture images of the south pole of the Sun for the first time. This became possible due to the collaborative efforts of the European Space Agency and NASA. The spacecraft, launched in February 2020, regularly flies past Venus during its mission, altering its orbit and exploring the plane of the Solar System.

What is visible in the images:

The images show a spotted structure of magnetic activity that arises from the breakouts of magnetic fields from the Sun's surface. During solar maximum, the star's activity significantly increases, and the magnetic field can reverse polarity, temporarily erasing the boundary between the northern and southern poles.

The data obtained also indicate that the solar wind moves faster from the polar regions than from the equatorial ones. This helps analyze the structure of the poles directly and predict space weather that can affect satellites, electric grids, and aviation on Earth.Carol Mandel, ESA's Director of Science, called these images the first-ever captured of the Sun's poles. Furthermore, the Solar Orbiter mission plans to study the northern pole of the Sun and reach even higher orbits in the future, allowing for more data to be obtained.The spacecraft Ulysses, which operated from 1990 to 2009, also studied the poles of the Sun but did not have a camera for imaging. The Solar Orbiter has multiple cameras that enable scientists to observe the Sun in different spectra and measure the plasma temperature in the star's corona.It is planned that in the future, the Solar Orbiter will study the northern pole of the Sun and expand the research area by reaching even higher orbits. This will allow for more data to be collected and a better understanding of the structure and activity of our star.In collaboration with ESA and NASA, the Solar Orbiter spacecraft took pictures of the south pole of the Sun, allowing scientists to explore its structure and predict space weather. The spacecraft obtained unique data that will contribute to a better understanding of the star closest to us.