The first ever video and images of the Sun’s south pole have been sent back to Earth by the European Space Agency’s Solar Orbiter spacecraft.
The new images will enable scientists to learn how the Sun cycles between periods of raging storms and quiet times.
This is important because intense solar activity can affect satellite communication and knock out power grids on Earth.
The new images show a shimmering bright atmosphere which in parts reaches temperatures of a million degrees Celsius. Interspersed are darker clouds of gas, which although much cooler, are still a searing one hundred thousand degrees.
The pictures are the closest and most detailed ever taken of the Sun and will help scientists learn how the star that gives us life on Earth actually works, according to Prof Carole Mundell, ESA’s Director of Science
“Today we reveal humankind’s first-ever views of the Sun’s pole,” she says.
“The Sun is our nearest star, giver of life and potential disruptor of modern space and ground power systems, so it is imperative that we understand how it works and learn to predict its behaviour”.
