Following a flyby of Venus in February that successfully increased its orbital inclination around the Sun, the European Space Agency\u2019s Solar Orbiter recently imaged the Sun\u2019s poles for the first time. The images are the first to show how the Sun\u2019s immense magnetic field interacts at its poles, and will improve scientists\u2019 understanding of the solar cycle and solar weather.<\/p>\n
While the images are the first of the solar poles ever taken, they are not the last. Over the next five years, Solar Orbiter\u2019s orbit will continue to increase in inclination, giving scientists unparalleled views of the Sun\u2019s northern and southern poles.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Given the location of Earth and the other planets within the Sun\u2019s ecliptic plane, every photograph ever taken of the Sun is taken facing directly at the solar equator. Solar Orbiter is the first spacecraft to ever significantly shift the inclination of its heliocentric orbit beyond the ecliptic plane. This shift in inclination \u2014 17 degrees to be exact \u2014 allowed its cameras to view the Sun\u2019s south pole for the first time.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n