Other space telescopes such as the ESA/NASA SOHO satellite frequently see solar activity like this, but either closer to the Sun, or further out by means of an occulter, which shuts out the glare of the Suns disc to make it possible for in-depth images of the corona itself. Therefore, the prominence observed by Solar Orbiter is the largest ever occasion of its kind to be caught in a single field of view together with the solar disc, opening up brand-new possibilities to see how events like these link to the solar disc for the first time. At the exact same time, SOHO can provide complementary views to even bigger ranges.
Other area missions were also watching the event, including NASAs Parker Solar Probe. Next week, Solar Orbiter and Parker Solar Probe will perform dedicated joint observations during Parkers perihelion passage.
Even spacecraft not committed to solar science felt its blast– the ESA/JAXA BepiColombo objective, presently in the area of Mercurys orbit– spotted a huge boost in the readings for electrons, protons, and heavy ions with its radiation screen.
And while this occasion did not send a blast of fatal particles towards Earth, it is a crucial pointer of the unpredictable nature of the Sun and the value of understanding and monitoring its habits. Together with ESAs future dedicated space weather mission Vigil, which will provide distinct views of occasions like these, we can much better secure our home planet from the Suns violent outbursts.
This newest event took location on February 15, 2022, and extended millions of kilometers into space. There is no signature of the eruption on the solar disc dealing with the spacecraft– which is presently approaching the Earth-Sun line– meaning that it needs to have stemmed from the side of the Sun facing away from us.
The Full Sun Imager of the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager on board the ESA/NASA Solar Orbiter spacecraft captured a huge solar eruption on February 15, 2022. Solar prominences are large structures made of tangled magnetic field lines that keep thick concentrations of solar plasma suspended above the Suns surface area and frequently take the kind of arching loops. The images was captured by the Full Sun Imager (FSI) of the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) on Solar Orbiter.
Solar Orbiter and SOHOs view of a huge eruption– close up. Credit: Solar Orbiter/EUI and SOHO/LASCO teams, ESA & & NASA The ESA/NASA Solar Orbiter spacecraft has actually caught the largest solar prominence eruption ever observed in a single image together with the full solar disc.
Solar prominences are large structures of twisted magnetic field lines that keep thick concentrations of solar plasma suspended above the Suns surface area, sometimes taking the kind of arching loops. They are often related to coronal mass ejections, which if directed towards Earth, can wreak havoc with our technology and daily lives.
The ESA/NASA Solar Orbiter spacecraft has actually recorded the biggest solar prominence eruption ever observed in a single image together with the full solar disc.
The Full Sun Imager of the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager on board the ESA/NASA Solar Orbiter spacecraft caught a giant solar eruption on February 15, 2022. Solar prominences are big structures made of twisted magnetic field lines that keep dense concentrations of solar plasma suspended above the Suns surface and often take the kind of arching loops. Therefore, the prominence observed by Solar Orbiter is the largest ever event of its kind to be caught in a single field of view together with the solar disc, opening up brand-new possibilities to see how events like these connect to the solar disc for the very first time.