ESA Solar Orbiter traces S-shaped switchbacks to magnetic loops

Technology Oct 13, 2026

European Space Agency's Solar Orbiter just helped solve a solar mystery by tracing the source of weird S-shaped "switchbacks" on the sun.

These twists, packed with charged particles like oxygen and carbon, seem to form in hot magnetic loops, giving scientists a closer look at how the sun's magnetic field works.

Study attributes switchbacks to interchange reconnection

A new study explains these switchbacks happen when different magnetic fields interact and release plasma, a process called "interchange reconnection."

This is key to creating solar wind, which helps scientists better predict extreme space weather events that have an impact on Earth.

Those storms can mess with our space-based infrastructure and technology, so understanding them helps protect the tech we rely on every day.