Sumeet Sud shares news of Solar Orbiter

A rocket carrying Solar Orbiter, a probe that will take pictures of the top and bottom of the sun, was launched on Feb 9, 2020. With Solar Orbiter, scientist will for the first time get a good view of the top and bottom of the sun. Until now, a most all of the solar-watching spacecraft have orbited in the ecliptic, or the same plane that planets travel around the sun. That change of view could help solve mysteries about how the sun spews high velocity charged particles. The magnetic fields that accelerate those particles flow into and out of the sun’s poles. The data from Solar Orbiter could help explain the sunspot cycle – why does the cycle last 11 years? why are some quiet and others roar violently? and help models to predict solar storms.