European Solar Orbiter traces S-shaped switchback to Sun's magnetic loops
A European spacecraft just cruised through a wild S-shaped bend between Earth and the Sun: basically, a twist in space created by the Sun's own atmosphere.
Using its Solar Wind Analyser, the Solar Orbiter picked up charged oxygen and carbon particles, helping scientists trace this "switchback" right back to hot magnetic loops on the Sun.
Study advances space weather prediction
This discovery helps scientists understand how the Sun heats its atmosphere and drives charged particles away from the star, the stuff that eventually reaches Earth.
The study, led by Jesse Coburn and published in Nature Astronomy, indicated the plasma came from hot closed coronal loops.
As researcher Stephanienn Yardley put it, waves and turbulence control how all this solar plasma moves out into space.
It's a big step for predicting space weather that affects us here on Earth.