Humanity will be able to see the Sun's poles directly for the first time thanks to a new telescope.

The Sun's poles - the source of the high-speed solar wind and the star's magnetic "heartbeat" - have long been a mysterious region that humans have not been able to observe directly from Earth's orbit.

According to Beijing Zhongke Journal Publishing Co. Ltd., with the upcoming launch of the Solar Polar-orbit Observatory (SPO) mission, humanity will have its first direct view of the Sun's poles, opening up opportunities to decode magnetic field cycles, space weather phenomena, and the forces that shape the environment in the Solar System.

Scientists say most current images of the Sun are taken from the ecliptic plane - the area where Earth and the planets move - so visibility is limited, especially at the poles.

However, these poles play a key role in shaping the 11-year magnetic cycle and powering the solar wind. Previous data from the Ulysses spacecraft revealed that the fast solar wind originates mainly from “coronal holes” near the poles.

According to the research team published in the Beijing Central Science Journal, direct observations of the poles will help answer three core questions in solar physics: the operating mechanism of the “magnetic generator” in the Sun’s core; the origin and acceleration mechanism of the solar wind; and the propagation process of space weather phenomena such as magnetic storms or coronal mass ejections (CMEs).

The SPO spacecraft, scheduled to launch in January 2029, will use Jupiter's gravitational boost to leave the ecliptic plane, reaching an orbital inclination of up to 75°, which could even increase to 80° during the expansion phase.

The 15-year mission will cover the 2035 solar maximum, when the magnetic reversal is expected to occur. During this time, SPO will fly over the poles multiple times, with more than 1,000 days of high-latitude observations.

The spacecraft carries a combination of magnetic field and particle flow instruments and X-ray, ultraviolet, visible light and coronal telescopes, allowing direct recording of polar activity and connection to plasma flows throughout the heliosphere.

SPO will join the network of active spacecraft such as Solar Orbiter, SDO, Hinode, ASO-S, Aditya-L1, PUNCH, as well as upcoming missions at L5 by ESA and China, forming the first observing system to cover almost the entire Sun.

Experts say this mission is not just purely scientific. By improving understanding of the magnetic field and solar wind cycles, SPO is expected to help more accurately forecast space weather - a factor that directly affects satellites, communication systems, aviation and power grids on Earth./.

(TTXVN/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/nhan-loai-se-lan-dau-duoc-nhin-truc-tiep-hai-cuc-mat-troi-nho-kinh-thien-van-moi-post1070363.vnp