A special cosmic alignment happened in the deep space. The European Solar Orbiter jointly with NASA’s Parker Solar Probe mission produced the first ever simultaneous measurements of the #solarcorona and of the plasma microphysical properties. The result is extraordinary and could help to solve the apparent paradox of why the outermost part of the solar atmosphere is so hot. The answer is probably to be linked to the #turbulence phenomena, main responsible for the heating of the solar corona.
#SolarOrbiter is the first mission to operate in extreme environment up to 500C°, providing the closest images of the poles of the Sun at high latitude and to study the magnetic fields, solar wind and space weather.
The routine science operations started in November 2021 and the spacecraft later reached the closest distance to our giving-life Star for the first time: 42 million kilometers.
OHB Italia S.p.A. was on board on such and amazing mission to meet face-to-face the Sun with #METIS (Multi Element Telescope for Imaging and Spectroscopy) one of the ten cutting-edge technological instruments. METIS is observing and screening the #structure and the #dynamics of the full corona, using a broad-band, polarized and narrow-band imaging technology, a unique capability combining three different wavelength bands by means of a single telescope. METIS blocks out the light from the Sun’s surface and takes pictures of the corona. It is the perfect instrument to use for the large-scale measurements.
Comparing the newly measured rate to the theoretical one has shown that solar physicists were almost right in their identification of turbulence as a way of transferring energy. Stimulating random movements, energy is transferred to ever smaller scales, transforming energy into heat.
The ability to use both Solar Orbiter and Parker Solar Probe with their orbital configuration has really opened up a new dimension with strong potential scientific return.
www.ohb-italia.it
European Space Agency – ESA Agenzia Spaziale Italiana
