On September 27, 2024, researchers reported groundbreaking findings from the Solar Orbiter mission, which has provided the first-ever evidence of fully developed turbulence in the Sun's corona. This discovery is crucial for understanding the solar wind, a continuous flow of charged particles emitted by the Sun that affects the entire solar system.
Daniel Müller, the Solar Orbiter Project Scientist from ESA, highlighted that the solar wind interacts with Earth's magnetic field, causing geomagnetic storms that can disrupt satellite operations and power grids. These interactions also create stunning auroras near the poles.
The Solar Orbiter, equipped with the Metis coronagraph, captured detailed images of the corona from approximately 27 million miles away, blocking out the Sun's bright light to reveal the faint corona. The data showed that small disturbances within the corona lead to turbulent flows in space, confirming long-held scientific suspicions.
This new understanding of solar wind turbulence is essential for predicting space weather events, helping scientists forecast their potential impacts on technology and infrastructure on Earth.