The University of Michigan researchers to launch a solar orbiter mission on February 7. The main agenda of this mission is to study the physics of the Sun. Also, it would capture Sun’s poles images.

In coordination with Parker Solar Probe of NASA, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Solar Orbiter will function. It was launched in August 2018. From Cape Canaveral, the orbiter will be launched, the researchers state.

With charge particles and electromagnetic fields, solar storms forms. They travel from the Sun and blow the magnetic field around the Earth. But, if disturbances create, it harms the power lines. Also, risks the expensive transformers damaging the satellites.

Previously, the data collected from spacecraft and telescopes would predict solar activity threats. The spacecraft and telescopes station far from the Sun. The activity on the Sun revives from the solar orbiter. It helps to connect both orbiter and the sun to solar plasma. It then flows out in the heliosphere before driving away from space weather.

Solar Orbiter Tracks Region Activities

Adding to that, he said that the orbiter helps to track active regions having the possibility to explode into a coronal mass ejection. This is one of the important events of solar space weather.

An instrument like Heavy Ion Sensor (HIS) helps to break the solar composition down to samples. It is partially from U-M.

Further, researchers can determine the area based on the composition. The area is where the energy deposits and distribute in the solar wind. Also, focuses on the Sun’s eruption and how the heliosphere particles accelerate.

Formed by the solar wind and present around the solar system, the heliosphere is a bubble which protects the earth from galactic cosmic radiation. Further, the origin of the solar wind samples by Orbiter allows the researchers to get the data.

Hence, within 60 solar radii or 42 million kilometres of the Sun, the orbiter eventually revolves. Then, it comes back to the same position where Parker leaves.

Identically, Parker Solar Probe mission was to fly closer to the Sun compared to any other spacecraft. Also, it collects all the solar corona data.