In addition to NASA's Parker Solar Probe, another spacecraft currently in close proximity to the Sun is the Solar Orbiter operated by the European Space Agency (ESA). Well, the Solar Orbiter spacecraft has just captured an amazing photo of a huge explosion that occurred on the Sun.
This photo feels special because it was the first to capture the largest solar eruption in one shot, with the Sun appearing in full. Another term for this event is solar prominence or solar bulge.
"This solar bulge is a massive structure of magnetic field that keeps a dense concentration of the Sun's plasma above its surface, sometimes shaped like an arc," the ESA said in a statement.
This solar bulge is often associated with a coronal mass ejection (CME), which, if pointed towards Earth, can cause interference in telecommunications equipment such as satellites. It also causes beautiful views of the aurora.
This incident was shot on February 15th. It looks like the explosion on the left side of the Sun was ejected millions of kilometers into space. Luckily, the coronal mass ejection in this incident did not point towards Earth, so there was no disturbance.
As quoted by us from CNN, Wednesday (23/2/2022) this photo was taken with the Full Sun Imager device in the Solar Orbiter. The technology is designed to photograph the Sun in its full state, even though ESA's location is quite close to the Sun.
"This Solar Orbiter observed event is the largest of its kind captured, opening up new possibilities for observing how such an event relates to the Sun," the ESA said.
ESA scientists say that at this time, the Sun is indeed increasingly active. The Solar Maximum period, during which solar activity reaches its peak, is predicted to occur in the first half of 2025.