After five years in deep space, Solar Orbiter has again amazed scientists with an unprecedented high-resolution image of the Sun’s fiery corona.
This stunning ultraviolet-light view, captured on 9 March 2025, reveals a chaotic interplay of million-degree plasma and magnetic fields.
The detailed image showcases glowing coronal loops arching over active regions and, more astonishingly, darker filaments and prominences weaving through the Sun’s atmosphere. The Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) onboard the Solar Orbiter accomplished this feat by systematically scanning the Sun in a precise 5 x 5 grid. It captured six high-resolution images and two wide-angle views at each position, resulting in an astonishing composite of 200 individual snapshots.
The result?
The widest and highest-resolution view of the Sun ever obtained, spanning 12,544 x 12,544 pixels. Observed from a distance of 77 million kilometers and a vantage point 11.4° below the solar equator, this mosaic provides scientists with a deeper understanding of how solar activity unfolds, influencing space weather and conditions throughout the solar system.
As Solar Orbiter continues its mission, researchers anticipate even more groundbreaking discoveries that could reshape our understanding of the Sun’s dynamic and powerful behavior.
