NASA And ESA Will Reveal First Images From Solar Orbiter This Week

NASA is planning to hold an event this week that will reveal the first images and data from Solar Orbiter, the relatively new joint mission between it and the European Space Agency (ESA). The mission is carrying 10 instruments to study our Sun, including the magnetic fields and particles that result from it. The spacecraft made its first pass of our star last month after launching in early February.

This is a milestone mission for humanity, offering the closest images a mission has ever captured of the Sun. Solar Orbiter is carrying more than just cameras, however, bringing a total of 10 instruments to reveal new information about the star and how it influences our Solar System. The first close pass that took place in June marked the first time the mission used all of its instruments at the same time.

A few weeks after this successful pass, NASA and the ESA are planning to reveal the data it gathered from this milestone, including details from these closest-ever images. The information will be revealed in an online live event that will be available to stream on NASA's website; the ESA will be dealing with the media side of things for questions after the briefing, as well.

Several NASA and ESA scientists and experts will participate in the live stream, as well as researchers from multiple observatories and academic institutions involved with the mission. The experts will talk about the close-up images, which will be revealed on July 16 with the event. As well, the team will discuss how the magnetic fields and particles measurements reveal things about our star.

Solar Orbiter is the first medium-class mission launched under the European Space Agency's Cosmic Vision 2015 – 2025 program, which aims to answer key questions about our Solar System, the emergence of the universe, fundamental physics that shape nature, as well as the development of plants and how life forms in the universe.