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Remote-Sensing Windows for the first half of the year 2026 are now closed. Solar Orbiter is currently observing with a nominal synoptic program.
This year, the high latitude science phase will bring the spacecraft to a maximum latitude of 17°.

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News and Highlights

Science nugget: Non-LTE Analysis of Pre-eruptive Prominence Plasma Parameters’ Effects on the Lyman-beta and Lyman-gamma Lines with Solar Orbiter SPICE Observations

15 April 2026

On 15 April 2023, the Spectral Imaging of the Coronal Environment (SPICE) on board Solar Orbiter performed its first dedicated off‑limb observation of a solar prominence. At the time, Solar Orbiter was at a heliocentric distance of 0.31 AU in an Earth‑quadrature configuration. SPICE observed a large quiescent prominence in the northern... read more

Science nugget: Compressive Structures in the Foreshock of Collisionless Shocks

8 April 2026

The goal of this study is to explore this apparent discrepancy by examining a high-Mach-number quasi-parallel IP shock observed by Solar Orbiter and comparing it with Earth’s bow shock using the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission in a “string-of-pearls” configuration. This coordinated setup allows us to probe how similar physical... read more

Science Nugget: Fraction of energy carried by coherent structures in the turbulent cascade in the solar wind

11 March 2026

The solar wind is known to exhibit intervals of turbulence. Turbulence is a potential mechanism to heat the solar wind. Solar wind turbulence exhibits three distinct ranges in the power spectrum, at large scales the 1/f range, at intermediate scales the inertial range, and at small scales the kinetic range. Recently, an additional spectral... read more

Science Nugget: Evolution of Flare Ribbon Bead-like Structures in a Solar Flare

4 March 2026

During solar flares, magnetic reconnection accelerates high energy particles from the flare current sheet, down magnetic loops, toward the Sun’s surface. As these high-energy particles reach the chromosphere, they deposit energy at the magnetic footpoints, heating local plasma to form flare ribbons. Flare ribbons, therefore, mark the magnetic... read more

Science Nugget: Combined Metis and EUI observations for streamer characterization

18 February 2026

Comprehensive observations of the solar atmosphere, ranging from the limb of the Sun out into the extended corona, are fundamental for understanding the physical connections between the Sun and the heliosphere. In particular, determining the electron temperature structure in corona is crucial to constrain theoretical models and characterize... read more

Science Nugget: Long-lived Magnetic Switchbacks Tracked across 0.32 au through BepiColombo-Solar Orbiter Radial Alignment

11 February 2026

Switchbacks are large-amplitude, impulsive rotations of the interplanetary magnetic field, accompanied by correlated enhancements in solar wind velocity and temporary reversals of the radial magnetic field component. While early Ulysses observations reported them as sporadic features, recent measurements by Parker Solar Probe and Solar... read more

Science Nugget: The First Quantitative Study of Tail Regrowth of CME-Driven Disconnection in Comet C/2023 P1 Nishimura Observed by SoloHI

4 February 2026

The ion (plasma) tail of a comet acts as a sensitive tracer of heliospheric conditions, as it responds to variations in solar wind velocity, density, and interplanetary magnetic field. During the comet’s passage close to the Sun, the interplanetary magnetic field carried by the solar wind and draped around the comet’s ionized coma can... read more

Science Nugget: Identifying variability of Solar Flare Energy Transport Mechanisms via Solar Orbiter’s Major Flare Campaign.

28 January 2026

During solar flares an enormous amount of magnetic energy is released in the corona before ultimately flowing to the lower atmosphere, where it is dissipated. A dramatic response of the plasma results, creating both large-scale flare ribbons, with localized fine-scale structure, as well as the development of the flare arcade. Forward... read more

Magnetic avalanches power solar flares, finds Solar Orbiter

21 January 2026

Just as avalanches on snowy mountains start with the movement of a small quantity of snow, the ESA-led Solar Orbiter spacecraft has discovered that a solar flare is triggered by initially weak disturbances that quickly become more violent. This rapidly evolving process creates a ‘sky’ of raining plasma blobs that continue to fall even after... read more

Science Nugget: The first out-of-ecliptic observations of the polar magnetic field of the Sun.

14 January 2026

The Sun exhibits a magnetic activity cycle of approximately 11 years. During the solar minimum, the magnetic field of the south and north poles shows opposite polarities. The initially unipolar caps evolve into mixed-polarity regions as the activity increases, until a magnetic field reversal occurs between the maximum of activity and the next... read more

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Upcoming Events

3-8 May 2026: EGU General Assembly, Vienna, Austria. (Solar Orbiter session)

3rd June 2026: SO Webinar #4
"4 years of Solar Orbiter Observing Plans: a beginner's guide to searching the datasets from all remote-sensing windows and coordinated observations"

1st July 2026: SO Webinar #5
"Connecting solar flares from the Sun to the heliosphere" (Solar Orbiter hackathon team)

22-24 September 2026: Solar Orbiter SWT-43, online + ESTEC (NL)

16-18 March 2026: Solar Orbiter SWT-44, ASI (IT)

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