France, Nov. 28 -- Unlike previous observations from Earth or other space missions that view the sun from the ecliptic plane - the flat disc in which planets orbit-Solar Orbiter positioned itself at an angle of 17deg below the solar equator. This unique vantage point enabled the probe to peer directly at a region of the sun that has remained largely hidden from scientific scrutiny.
The historic images were captured by three of Solar Orbiter's 10 scientific instruments: the Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager (PHI), the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI), and the Spectral Imaging of the Coronal Environment (SPICE) instrument.
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