Solarโข Orbiter Data Cracks Mystery โof Sun’s Accelerated Particles, Protecting Satellites and Astronauts
PARIS – Scientists have pinpointedโ the source and โacceleration mechanisms behind the sun’sโ most energetic particles, a breakthrough achieved throughโค data collected by the european Space Agency’s (ESA) Solar Orbiter mission. These high-energy particles pose โฃa significantโ threat to satellites, disrupt communications, and endanger astronauts, and understanding theirโ origins is crucial โฃfor space weather forecasting and โprotection.
The research, โฃdetailed in recent findings, โrevealsโ key insights into how the sun โaccelerates electrons to near-light speed. This โขknowledge allows scientists to differentiate between types of electronsโ emitted by the sun, improving theโ ability to predict space weather events โฃand safeguard โcritical โคspace-based infrastructure. “This knowledge โขhelps us โขdistinguish the types of electrons emitted by โthe sun,so as to improveโฃ the ability toโ predict space for โspace and protectโ satellites and space missions,” โexplained Daniel Mรผller,Project Scientist for Solar Orbiterโข at ESA.
Theโข sun constantly โขemits a stream ofโ charged particles โคknown as the solar wind.โ Occasionally, powerful eruptions like solar flares and coronal mass ejectionsโ (CMEs) unleash bursts of theseโ particles, includingโ highly energetic ones. These โenergetic particles can penetrate spacecraft shielding, damage sensitive electronics, and even pose a radiationโ hazard to astronauts. Accurately predicting these events is a โฃmajor challenge for โspace weather forecasters.
ESA is preparing for future missions to further enhance โourโ understanding of the sun’s behavior. Vigil, slated for launch inโค 2031,โค will observe the sun’s previouslyโข unmonitored sideโ to โdetect solar storms beforeโข they impact Earth. Smile, launching in 2026, will investigate how Earth’sโ magnetic field protects the planet from the solarโ wind โandโ particle storms.
This latest โคresearch representsโฃ aโ significant step forward in understanding the โฃsun as a worldwide โparticle accelerator. Theโค growing data โขcatalog from Solar Orbiter โis providing scientists with a clearer picture of where these energetic particles originate, howโ they travel, and their impact on Earth and beyondโข – knowledge that is increasingly vital as modern life becomes ever moreโค reliant on space technology.