Solar Probes Find Amazing Things On The Sun

Summary

The sun, a colossal sphere of sizzling plasma 93 million miles away, is a source of both mystery and fascination. Despite centuries of study, it holds many secrets. Advanced telescopes on Earth and space missions, like NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory and the Parker Solar Probe, have captured unprecedented images and data of the sun's surface, sunspots, solar flares, and its powerful solar wind. These discoveries could help predict solar storms, which impact technology on Earth. The quest to understand the sun’s behavior continues, with ongoing space missions aimed at uncovering its most hidden secrets.

Takeaways

• 😀 The Sun is 93 million miles away from Earth and measures 865,000 miles in diameter, large enough to fit one million Earths inside.
• 😀 Despite thousands of years of study, we still know very little about the Sun, but new telescopes and space missions are helping us uncover its mysteries.
• 😀 The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope in Hawaii has captured high-resolution images of the Sun's surface, revealing boiling plasma and sunspots in unprecedented detail.
• 😀 Sunspots, such as the fiery heart captured in 2020, are cooler regions on the Sun's surface, but still extremely hot at over 7,000°F.
• 😀 NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory has been capturing time-lapse images of the Sun for over a decade, showing its 11-year solar cycle and fluctuations in solar activity.
• 😀 Solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are massive eruptions from the Sun that can affect space technology, communications, and power grids on Earth.
• 😀 The Solar Orbiter, launched in 2020, is sending back the first images of the Sun's poles and has revealed mini flares, or 'campfires,' that could help explain the Sun's atmosphere heating.
• 😀 The Sun’s outer corona is significantly hotter than its surface, with temperatures reaching over 5 million degrees Fahrenheit, causing the solar wind to extend past the planets.
• 😀 The Parker Solar Probe, launched in 2018, will make the closest-ever approach to the Sun, coming within 4 million miles to study its outer corona and the mysteries of solar wind acceleration.
• 😀 Solar storms, if powerful enough, could cause global blackouts, but large flares like the one in 2020 narrowly missed Earth, highlighting the unpredictable nature of solar activity.

Q & A

How far is the Sun from Earth and how large is it compared to our planet?

The Sun is approximately 93 million miles away from Earth and measures about 865,000 miles across—large enough to fit one million Earths inside it.

What is the primary goal of humanity’s mission to 'touch the Sun'?

The mission aims to study the Sun up close to better understand its structure, behavior, and influence on space weather, which can affect technology, communications, and power grids on Earth.

What is the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, and why is it significant?

Located on Maui, Hawaii, the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope is the world’s largest solar telescope. It has captured the most detailed images of the Sun’s surface and sunspots ever taken from Earth.

What did the Inouye Solar Telescope reveal about sunspots?

The telescope’s images showed that sunspots are massive regions—sometimes as large as Earth—where magnetic fields block heat from reaching the surface. It also revealed strands of hot gases extending for miles, reaching temperatures of 1.8 million°F.

What are the key instruments aboard NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)?

The SDO carries three main instruments: the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA), the Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment (EVE), and the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI), which study the Sun’s surface, atmosphere, and magnetic fields.

What is the solar cycle, and how long does it last?

The solar cycle is an 11-year period during which the Sun’s magnetic poles switch places, and solar activity—like sunspots, flares, and coronal ejections—rises and falls in a predictable pattern.

What is a coronal mass ejection (CME), and how can it affect Earth?

A CME is a massive burst of magnetized plasma ejected from the Sun’s corona. If directed toward Earth, it can disrupt satellites, communication systems, navigation, and power grids, potentially causing blackouts.

What is the Solar Orbiter, and what makes it unique?

The Solar Orbiter is a joint NASA and ESA mission launched in 2020. It’s designed to take the first images of the Sun’s north and south poles while withstanding temperatures from -300°F to over 900°F using a titanium heat shield.

What are 'campfires' observed by the Solar Orbiter, and why are they important?

Campfires are tiny, previously unseen solar flares—about a millionth the size of regular ones. They may be nano flares that help heat the Sun’s outer atmosphere, a long-standing mystery in solar physics.

What is the Parker Solar Probe, and how close will it get to the Sun?

Launched in 2018, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe will come within 4 million miles of the Sun—seven times closer than any previous spacecraft—to study its outer corona and solar wind acceleration.

How does the Parker Solar Probe survive the Sun’s extreme heat?

It uses a heat shield capable of withstanding temperatures up to 2,500°F, keeping its instruments near room temperature while traveling at speeds up to 430,000 miles per hour around the Sun.

Why is studying the Sun crucial for understanding other stars?

By examining the Sun’s structure, activity, and magnetic behavior, scientists can gain insights into how other stars in the universe function, evolve, and impact their surrounding environments.