Have you ever seen the Sun so close? Photos taken in 500 degree temperature by going to the orbit of the planet Mercury
The European Space Agency (ESA) sent its Solar Orbiter into space in the year 2020. Recently, it has taken astonishing pictures by reaching the record close of the Sun. According to reports, on March 26, ESA’s Solar Orbiter reached the orbit of Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun. Such an approach is known as perihelion, in which a planet is closest to the Sun. However, the spacecraft faced several challenges to reach perihelion. The biggest challenge among them was the scorching heat. When Solar Orbiter reached its record close to the Sun, it faced temperatures of up to 500 degrees Celsius. During this, the heat shield saved him.
It is expected that in the future, Solar Orbiter will move closer to the Sun and will have to face higher temperatures. The biggest advantage of this effort is that we have got to see the form of the Sun, which has never been seen before today. ESA’s orbiter captures powerful flares, spectacular views of the solar poles, and a mysterious solar ‘hedgehog’ on record close to the Sun. All these surprises were captured with the help of 10 science instruments stationed on Solar Orbiter.
A breathtaking view over the #Sun’s south pole captured 30 March by @esasolarorbiter. #SolarOrbiter will use Venus gravity to crank up its orbit inclination for a more top-down view of our star’s poles, unlocking secrets of solar activity https://t.co/pO6oQCLizg #ExploreFarther pic.twitter.com/CpDev8f24D
— ESA Science (@esascience) May 18, 2022
David Bergman of the Royal Observatory in Belgium said in a statement that these images are truly breathtaking. He said that even if Solar Orbiter stops collecting data tomorrow, he will still be trying for years to find these things.
Scientists hope that these observations will provide important data to understand the behavior of the Sun. These include the Sun’s magnetic field and solar emissions. Significantly, scientists have not yet been able to know very deeply about the Sun. As far as the solar ‘hedgehog’ is concerned, it remains a puzzle for scientists till date. Scientists do not know what it is and how it is formed. The hedgehog has a small area of about 25 thousand kilometers. It consists of a plethora of spikes of hot and cold gases, reaching out in all directions. Scientists hope that Solar Orbiter will help to understand many such unresolved questions. For now, look at these wonderful pictures.
