When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. ESA’s Solar Orbiter has imaged the sun’s south pole for the first time in history. | Credit: ESA ...

Prior to the ESA releasing the photos, any image you have ever seen of the sun was taken from around its equator. The Solar Orbiter launched February 2020 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in ...

Launched in February 2020 to take the first-ever close-up images of the sun, the European Space Agency's Solar Orbiter spacecraft has sent back humanity’s first clear images of the sun’s south pole.

Plenty of spacecraft and telescopes have throughout the years been able to observe the sun up close – with plenty more missions on the way. In late-December 2024, NASA's Parker Solar Probe got closer ...

For the first time in history, we re seeing the Sun from an angle no one ever has: from above and below its poles. Thanks to the European Space Agency s Solar Orbiter and its tilted orbit, scientists ...

From Earth, we always look towards the Sun's equator. This year, the ESA-led Solar Orbiter mission broke free of this ‘standard’ viewpoint by tilting its orbit to 17° – out of the ecliptic plane where ...

"These first images of the solar poles are just the start." When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Breaking space news, the latest ...

Visuals from the European Space Agency’s Solar Orbiter reveal chaotic solar magnetism in the solar polar region. Even better images are expected in the years ahead. By Jonathan O’Callaghan Spacecraft ...