The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Solar Orbiter mission has released new, impressive high-resolution images of the Sun.

The images were taken on March 22, 2023 from 74 million kilometers away and show different dynamic aspects of the Sun, including the movements of its magnetic field and the hot solar corona, i.e., its outer atmosphere.

The new high-resolution images come at an important moment in solar science, as the sun recently reached the solar maximum, its climax 11-year cycle of its activity. During this time, the sun’s magnetic poles reverse and solar activity – such as sunspots, solar flares and coronal mass ejections – intensifies.

“The Sun’s magnetic field is key to understanding the dynamic nature of our star from the smallest to the largest scales,” said Daniel Muller, who is involved in the Solar Orbiter project.

The EUI imaged the Sun’s corona, which remains a mystery due to its much higher temperatures compared to the planet’s surface. The solar corona is believed to be heated by the Sun’s magnetic field, but scientists do not yet fully understand the mechanisms behind this extreme temperature difference. The EUI images are expected to provide crucial clues to this mystery.