Unlike previous observations from Earth or other space missions that view the sun from the ecliptic plane – the flat disc in which planets orbit—Solar Orbiter positioned itself at an angle of 17° below the solar equator. This unique vantage point enabled the probe to peer directly at a region of the sun that has remained largely hidden from scientific scrutiny.
The historic images were captured by three of Solar Orbiter’s 10 scientific instruments: the Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager (PHI), the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI), and the Spectral Imaging of the Coronal Environment (SPICE) instrument.
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Scientific Significance
According to Milan Maksimovic, principal investigator of the Radio and Plasma Waves (RPW) instrument on Solar Orbiter, “these images are important in order to study the circulation of matter around the poles, which is very important for some models whose purpose is to look at the deep interior of the sun to do helioseismology.”
The RPW instrument, developed by a consortium including Paris Observatory’s Laboratory for Instrumentation and Research in Astrophysics (LIRA), consists of three components: electric antennae, a magnetic antenna, and a sophisticated main electronic box containing complex receivers.
Maksimovic, who serves as director of LIRA, noted that his laboratory had full responsibility for developing and testing the main electronic box in LIRA’s vacuum chamber facility.
The RPW instrument measures electric and magnetic waves in solar plasma, as well as radio emissions produced by the sun, providing crucial data to complement the visual observations.
Solar Orbiter’s mission continues to push the boundaries of solar science, offering insights that will help researchers better understand the sun’s behaviour and its effects on the solar system.