NASA and ESA’s Solar Orbiter might not be working at its fullest yet, but that hasn’t restricted it from scoring its first gushes of magnetically charged plasma from the Sun’s corona.
It is also the first set of data from the spacecraft after a long journey from the Earth to the Sun. This data will help astronomers understand the impact of solar activity on the Earth.
CMEs can affect Earth’s magnetosphere
Coronal mass ejection (CMEs) are some of the most dramatic cosmic events. It is a process where the Sun’s surface flares up, with sprays of plasma being thrown out into space from the corona. It comes with a magnetic field, and the geomagnetic storm it causes can affect our planet’s magnetosphere.
It is also the reason behind the Northern Lights, but the impact can be even more significant somewhere else. High magnetic concentrations can also impair radio transmissions, while strong flux can damage electrical infrastructure and satellites orbiting Earth.
However, more concerning is the effect of CMEs on unprotected humans. While the atmosphere acts as a protective layer to prevent serious physical impairments, astronauts in space or on planets without the same atmospheric protection as Earth, are at a risk from “space weather” changes.
Solar Orbiter has a long way to go
Understanding the exact process that happens between the Sun and the Earth is one of the tasks the Solar Orbiter is assigned with. The mission was launched in 2020 and aims to identify the causes and impacts of CMEs and how they propagate in space.
The Solar Orbiter will also beam back close-up shots of our closest star, including images from high solar latitudes and polar regions for the first time in history. Before all this happens, the orbiter needs to undergo several system checks, before getting fully functional by November 2021.
NASA and ESA have been trying to unravel the mysteries of the Sun for a long time. Recently, a new study suggested that the Sun’s outer atmosphere layer can reach temperatures of 1.7 million degrees Fahrenheit. In June last year, ESA released the closest-ever shots of the Sun taken by the Solar Orbiter. Campfires across the star’s surface were clearly visible for the first time.
