It was made possible by the tilted orbit of the Solar Orbiter, enriching our understanding of the Sun’s magnetic field, solar cycle etc.
- The Solar Orbiter is a joint solar mission between the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA launched in 2020
- With the objective to take close-up images of the Sun, observe solar wind and the Sun's Polar Regions.
Significance of Studying Sun’s Poles:
- 1st Polar Views: Aid in improved understanding of the Solar Cycle. Current models are unable to predict exactly when and how powerfully the Sun will reach its most active state.
- Solar Cycle is the natural cycle (~11 years) of the Sun as it transitions between low (solar minimum) and high activity (solar maximum).
- During solar maximum, explosions of light, energy, and solar radiation affect the space weather.
- Sun’s magnetic field: Measurements show that both north and south polarity magnetic fields are present at the Sun’s South Pole during solar maximum.
- The Sun's magnetic north and south poles do flip, roughly every 11 years.
- Tracking movement of Particles: Imaging spectrographs tracked particle movements in form of solar winds and solar storms away from Sun's equator. This will improve space weather forecasts.
Other Solar Missions:
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