Science Nuggets - Solar Orbiter

10 May 2023Some strong lines in the EUV/UV spectral range are known to be visible in the solar corona up to several solar radii above the limb. These spectral lines are very suitable for the study of the dynamic properties of the continuously expanding corona, which is important for gaining insight into the origin of the solar wind and the creation of the...

26 April 2023The smallest coronal transient extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) brightening events that were observed so far, so-called campfires, were discovered in 2021 using data from the High Resolution Extreme Ultraviolet telescope, which is part of the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager on board the ESA and NASA Solar Orbiter mission. The high spatial and temporal...

19 April 2023STIX observations confirm the hot onset behavior previously reported by Hudson et al. (2021), with elevated temperatures ranging between 11 to 16 MK from the very beginning of the flare. Interestingly, the elevated temperature persists throughout the interval before the main energy release, while the emission measure steadily increases by about...

12 April 2023Observations of interplanetary prominence material are rare and present unique opportunities to study ICME formation, eruption, internal structure, and evolution. The Solar Wind Analyser instrument suite on Solar Orbiter recorded a short interval of prominence plasma during a series of ICMEs that passed over the spacecraft during late October to...

22 March 2023Langmuir waves are electrostatic waves near the electron plasma frequency, often observed in the solar wind.  In a weakly collisional environment, such as the solar wind, wave-particle interactions play a fundamental role in the energy dissipation mechanisms. The study of Langmuir waves is of particular interest, as they could play an important...

15 March 2023Observing solar energetic electron (SEE) events with multiple spacecraft at different heliocentric distances is crucial to determine the transport effects of solar particle events. However, the radial dependence of SEE peak intensities is difficult to study due to the simultaneous occurrence of radial and longitudinal effects, which cannot be...

8 March 2023Ever since their detection by Ellerman in 1917 more than a century ago, localised (sub-Mm in diameter) transient (lifetimes of less than 10 minutes) brightenings have been actively studied by the solar physics community. Although such features were originally identified in active regions, where the strong magnetic fields and plasma velocities...