NASA\u2019s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)<\/a>.<\/p>\nThese images not only show the Sun\u2019s surface but also unveil the inner corona, a region crucial to understanding solar activity, space weather, and how energetic particles travel through the solar system. The ESA mission represents a monumental step forward for heliophysics, enabling scientists to capture data that bridges the gap between previous missions like SOHO and Parker Solar Probe.<\/p>\n
The Fiery Heart Of The Corona<\/p>\n
\u201cThe corona is extremely hot, about two hundred times hotter than the Sun\u2019s surface,\u201d explains Andrei Zhukov from the Royal Observatory of Belgium, Principal Investigator for ASPIICS. The corona\u2019s temperature can soar to millions of degrees, even though the surface beneath remains relatively cooler, a paradox that continues to challenge scientists.<\/p>\n
Zhukov and his team observed the Sun during a highly active period on September 21, 2025, when three distinct prominence eruptions occurred within just five hours. \u201cSometimes, structures made of relatively cold plasma (charged gas) are observed near the Sun \u2013 although these are still around 10 000 degrees, they are much colder than the surrounding million-degree hot corona \u2013 creating what we call \u2018a prominence\u2019,\u201d he notes. These prominences appear as looping, flame-like structures that can expand outward and sometimes erupt, ejecting plasma into space.<\/p>\n
The Proba-3 mission\u2019s ability to capture three such eruptions in such a short window is nothing short of remarkable. \u201cSeeing so many prominence eruptions in such a short timeframe is rare, so I\u2019m very happy we managed to capture them so clearly during our observation window,\u201d adds Zhukov. These observations help scientists better understand the Sun\u2019s magnetic fields and the processes driving solar storms, events that can affect satellites, power grids, and communication systems on Earth.<\/p>\n
A New Era Of Solar Science<\/p>\n
The animation produced by Proba-3\u2019s ASPIICS coronagraph offers a unique combination of data from different instruments. It merges the inner solar corona observed in yellow light with data from NASA\u2019s Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA), which captures the solar disc in dark orange. This blending of spectral lines, including those emitted by helium atoms, produces an image similar to what the human eye would perceive during a total solar eclipse.<\/p>\n
Beyond its stunning beauty, this dataset is scientifically invaluable. The faint yellow glow surrounding the Sun is the result of visible light scattering from the Sun\u2019s surface onto coronal electrons, a phenomenon that helps scientists trace the movement of solar material and energy. With these insights, researchers can refine their models of solar activity and improve predictions of geomagnetic storms that affect Earth\u2019s technological systems.<\/p>\n
ESA\u2019s Proba-3 mission, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO, exemplifies international collaboration and innovation. It bridges the observational gap between the Sun\u2019s surface and its outer atmosphere, allowing researchers to piece together a more complete picture of our star\u2019s complex dynamics.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ESA\u2019s Proba-3 mission has delivered a breathtaking new perspective on the Sun\u2019s inner corona, capturing rare solar prominence…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":249946,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[85,46,141,145],"class_list":["post-249945","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-space","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-science","tag-space"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249945","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=249945"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249945\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/249946"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=249945"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=249945"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=249945"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Proba](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Proba-3_our_eyes_on_the_Sun_s_inner_corona_pillars-1.gif\")
[Image description: This is a gif animation made up of false-colour images taken by ESA\u2019s Proba-3 mission and NASA\u2019s Solar Dynamics Observatory. Against a dark background, the Sun\u2019s disc is shown in dark orange, as captured by NASA\u2019s Solar Dynamics Observatory. A thin halo of yellow light surrounds the Sun, giving it a luminous outline against the dark background of space. This yellow outline shows the Sun\u2019s inner corona, as captured by Proba-3. Also in yellow, three solar prominence eruptions are visible, resembling bright yellow wave-like outburst extending outwards from the Sun. First, we can see a smaller one in the top right corner, followed by a larger one in the top left and a third one in the bottom right. The whole animation lasts about 4 seconds and plays in a loop.]Credit: ESA<\/p>\n