Animation of ESAs Sun-explorer Solar Orbiter. Credit: ESA/Medialab
Solar Orbiters most current images shows the complete Sun in unmatched detail. They were taken on March 7, 2022, when the spacecraft was crossing directly in between the Earth and Sun.
Among the images, taken by the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) is the highest resolution image of the Suns full disc and external atmosphere, the corona, ever taken.
Another image, taken by the Spectral Imaging of the Coronal Environment (SPICE) instrument represents the very first full Sun image of its kind in 50 years, and without a doubt the finest one, taken at the Lyman-beta wavelength of ultraviolet light that is released by hydrogen gas.
The image is a mosaic of 25 specific images taken on March 7, 2022, by the high resolution telescope of the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) instrument. Taken at a wavelength of 17 nanometers, in the extreme ultraviolet area of the electromagnetic spectrum, this image reveals the Suns upper atmosphere, the corona, which has a temperature of around a million degrees Celsius. Solar Orbiter took images of the Sun on March 7, from a distance of approximately 75 million kilometres, utilizing its Spectral Imaging of the Coronal Environment (SPICE) instrument. SPICE takes synchronised “spectral images” at several different wavelengths of the severe ultraviolet spectrum by scanning its spectrometer slit throughout a region on the Sun. The spacecraft is now inside the orbit of Mercury, the inner world, taking the highest resolution images of the Sun it can take.
The images were taken when Solar Orbiter was at a range of approximately 75 million kilometers, half method in between our world and its parent star. The high-resolution telescope of EUI takes photos of such high spatial resolution that, at that close range, a mosaic of 25 private images is required to cover the whole Sun. Taken one after the other, the full image was captured over a period of more than four hours since each tile takes about 10 minutes, including the time for the spacecraft to point from one segment to the next.
The Sun as seen by Solar Orbiter in severe ultraviolet light from a range of approximately 75 million kilometers. The image is a mosaic of 25 specific images handled March 7, 2022, by the high resolution telescope of the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) instrument. Taken at a wavelength of 17 nanometers, in the extreme ultraviolet area of the electro-magnetic spectrum, this image reveals the Suns upper atmosphere, the corona, which has a temperature of around a million degrees Celsius. An image of Earth is likewise consisted of for scale, at the 2 oclock position. Credit: ESA & & NASA/Solar Orbiter/EUI group; Data processing: E. Kraaikamp (ROB).
In overall, the last image contains more than 83 million pixels in a 9148 x 9112 pixel grid. For contrast, this image has a resolution that is ten times much better than what a 4K television screen can show.
EUI images the Sun at a wavelength of 17 nanometers, in the severe ultraviolet area of the electromagnetic spectrum. This reveals the Suns upper atmosphere, the corona, which has a temperature level of around a million degrees Celsius.
Solar Orbiter took images of the Sun on March 7, from a range of roughly 75 million kilometres, utilizing its Spectral Imaging of the Coronal Environment (SPICE) instrument. SPICE takes simultaneous “spectral images” at numerous various wavelengths of the severe ultraviolet spectrum by scanning its spectrometer slit across a region on the Sun. It represents the finest complete Sun image taken at the Lyman beta wavelength of ultraviolet light that is emitted by hydrogen gas.
At the 2 oclock (near the image of the Earth for scale) and 8 oclock positions on the edges of the Sun, dark filaments can be seen predicting far from the surface area. These prominences are susceptible to emerge, throwing big quantities of coronal gas into space and creating area weather condition storms.
In addition to EUI, the SPICE instrument was also taping data during the crossing. These too required to be pieced together as a mosaic.
SPICE is developed to trace the layers in the Suns atmosphere from the corona, down to a layer referred to as the chromosphere, getting closer to the surface area. The instrument does this by looking at the various wavelengths of severe ultraviolet light that originate from various atoms.
Taking the Suns temperature level. Credit: ESA & & NASA/Solar Orbiter/SPICE team; Data processing: G. Pelouze (IAS).
In the SPICE sequence of images purple represents hydrogen gas at a temperature level of 10,000 ° C, blue to carbon at 32,000 ° C, green to oxygen at 320,000 ° C, yellow to neon at 630,000 ° C
. This will enable solar physicists to trace the extraordinarily effective eruptions that happen in the corona down through the lower atmospheric layers. It will likewise enable them to study among the most puzzling observations about the Sun: how the temperature level is increasing through the ascending atmospheric layers.
Generally the temperature level drops as you move away from a hot things. Above the Sun, the corona reaches a million degrees Celsius whereas the surface area is just about 5000 ° C. Investigating this secret is one of the essential clinical objectives of Solar Orbiter.
ESAs Solar Orbiter. Credit: ESA/ATG medialab.
The images were handled 7 March, specifically when Solar Orbiter crossed the Sun-Earth line, so the images can be compared to Earth-bound solar instruments and cross-calibrated. This will make it simpler to compare arise from various instruments and observatories in future.
On March 26, Solar Orbiter reaches another mission milestone: its first close perihelion. The spacecraft is now inside the orbit of Mercury, the inner world, taking the highest resolution pictures of the Sun it can take. It is also taping information on the solar wind of particles that flows outwards from the Sun.
And this is just the start, over the coming years the spacecraft will repeatedly fly this close to the Sun. It will also slowly raise its orientation to view the Suns formerly unobserved polar areas.
Solar Orbiter is an area mission of international collaboration in between ESA and NASA.