The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Solar Orbiter has recently captured four new high-resolution images of the Sun, offering an unprecedented glimpse into its dynamic nature. These images, taken on March 22, 2023, were created using the spacecraft’s Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager (PHI) and Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) instruments. The PHI images provide the clearest full views of the Sun’s visible surface (photosphere) to date, highlighting its complex magnetic field and surface motion. These can be compared to EUI’s ultraviolet images of the Sun’s corona, revealing the Sun’s many layers and dynamic activity.
The new images showcase sunspots, which are areas of intense magnetic activity, and the restless plasma flows that follow the Sun’s magnetic field lines. These high-resolution images were taken when Solar Orbiter was just 74 million kilometers from the Sun, and they provide valuable insights into the Sun’s behavior and magnetic field dynamics.