The European Space Agency has revealed an astounding photograph captured by its Solar Orbiter, a sophisticated spacecraft built to examine the Sun from a much closer distance than Earth – and it’s quite spectacular.
You may view a zoomed-out version of the picture below, but to really appreciate the image’s beauty, go here for the full-resolution version.
What is that little dot in the top right corner? Yes, it is the whole Earth scaled.
#ICYMI Zoom in and explore the incredible detail of our home star, courtesy of #SolarOrbiter @EuiTelescope ? https://t.co/2vOYZ7aw92 #WeAreAllSolarOrbiters #ExploreFarther pic.twitter.com/MpDFZW2PJD
— ESA’s Solar Orbiter (@ESASolarOrbiter) March 27, 2022
The final image was patched together from 25 individual photos collected by the Solar Orbiter’s Extreme Ultraviolet Imager instrument while the spacecraft passed directly between Earth and the Sun, the ESA revealed. At the moment, the probe was about halfway between Earth and our star.
According to the agency, the ensuing data might result in a new level of scientific knowledge of eruptions on the surface of our star and their relationship to events occurring deeper in the solar atmosphere.
However, for the layman, the picture serves as a breathtaking reminder of the star we all orbit’s beauty, intricacy, and sheer power.
Reference(s): ESA
