Solar Orbiter’s Latest Stunning Image of the Sun’s Corona

Solar Orbiter, the joint space mission by the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA, has once again impressed scientists around the world. Now five years into its journey, the spacecraft has delivered a breathtaking, high-resolution image of the Sun’s outer atmosphere — the corona, which burns at over a million degrees.

Captured on March 9, 2025, the image was taken from about 77 million kilometers away. It’s not just beautiful — it’s a major scientific achievement. The image combines 200 separate photos, resulting in the widest high-resolution view of the Sun ever produced.

What Makes This Image Unique?

The image was created using Solar Orbiter’s Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI). This instrument took six high-resolution and two wide-angle images at each of 25 points across the Sun’s surface. Together, they formed a giant mosaic with a resolution of 12544 x 12544 pixels.

What’s most striking is the detail. We can see glowing coronal loops around active regions and darker filaments and prominences. These features, visible only in ultraviolet light, reflect the Sun’s complex magnetic field. Understanding these magnetic structures is key to understanding solar activity.

How Did Solar Orbiter Achieve This?

Solar Orbiter achieved this view by moving through a carefully calculated orbit. During the imaging session, it pointed precisely at five rows and five columns across the Sun’s surface. At each point, it captured a set of images that were later stitched together.

Even from a distance of 77 million kilometers, the instruments remained stable and aligned. This level of precision shows the spacecraft’s excellent engineering and operational control. As a result, we now have an unmatched view of the Sun’s surface and the hot plasma around it.

Why This Image Matters

This isn’t just a pretty picture. It helps scientists better understand the Sun’s corona and how it behaves. By studying this region, they can learn more about the solar wind and the magnetic fields that cause space weather — events that can affect satellites, communication systems, and even power grids on Earth.

Solar activity also plays a role in shaping our climate. Therefore, studying the corona can help improve space weather forecasting and prepare for extreme solar events.

An International Mission with Global Impact

Solar Orbiter is a collaboration between ESA and NASA. The Royal Observatory of Belgium leads the work on the EUI instrument. Thanks to this global cooperation, scientists are pushing the boundaries of solar research and learning more about our star than ever before.

With every new image and dataset, the Solar Orbiter mission gives us more tools to understand the Sun and its impact on Earth. The mission not only inspires with stunning visuals but also supports real science that affects life here on our planet.