The European Space Agency's Solar Orbiter has provided humanity with the first-ever views of the Sun's polar regions by capturing images of the solar south pole from a 17-degree tilt. This marks a significant milestone in solar science as the Orbiter has been observing the Sun from the equatorial plane until now.

Prof. Carole Mundell, ESA's Director of Science, expressed the importance of understanding the Sun's behavior, given its role as our nearest star and potential disruptor of modern space and ground power systems. The recent images captured by the Solar Orbiter represent the beginning of a new era in solar science.

On March 23, the Orbiter used three of its instruments - the Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager (PHI), the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI), and the Spectral Imaging of the Coronal Environment (SPICE) - to capture a clear view of the solar pole. The PHI instrument mapped the Sun's surface magnetic field, while the EUI revealed the million-degree charged gas in the Sun's outer atmosphere, and the SPICE instrument captured light from different temperatures of charged gas above the Sun's surface.

Scientists analyzing the PHI instrument data discovered that the Sun's north and south polarity magnetic fields are concentrated at the south pole during the solar maximum of each 11-year cycle. This phenomenon is expected to become more orderly as the Sun reaches its solar minimum phase in the next 5-6 years.

By tracking spectral lines with the SPICE instrument, scientists were able to measure the speed at which clumps of solar material move, providing valuable insights into the dynamics of the Sun's atmosphere. These findings are anticipated to revolutionize our understanding of the Sun's magnetic field, the solar cycle, and space weather.

Looking ahead, experts are eagerly awaiting the complete dataset from the Orbiter's first full 'pole-to-pole' flight past the Sun, expected to arrive by October. This data will enable scientists to gain even better views of the Sun's polar regions and further enhance our knowledge of solar activity.