The Posts of the Sun hold the key to its three greatest mysteries

Sun posts can have responses to long -standing mysteries on magnetic cycles, solar wind and spatial time.

The polar regions of the sun remain one of the least explored areas of solar science. Although the satellites and the ground observatories have captured remarkable details on the surface of the sun, the atmosphere and the magnetic field, almost all these views come from the ecliptic plane, the narrow orbital path followed by the earth and most of the other planets.

This restricted perspective means that scientists have only a limited knowledge of what occurs near the solar poles. However, these regions are essential. Their magnetic fields and their dynamic activity are at the heart of the solar magnetic cycle and provide both mass and energy with rapid solar wind. These processes ultimately shape solar behavior and influence the space weather that can reach the earth.

Why the poles are important

On the surface, the poles may seem calm compared to the more active average latitudes of the sun (approximately ± 35 °), where solar spots, solar eruptions and coronal mass ejections (CME) are common. However, research shows that polar magnetic fields contribute directly to the global solar dynamo and can be the foundation of the next solar cycle by helping to establish the Dipolar Magnetic Field of the Sun. The observations of the Ulysses mission also revealed that the rapid solar wind comes mainly from large coronal holes in the polar regions. For this reason, obtaining a clearer vision of the Post of the Sun is essential to answer three of the most fundamental questions of solar physics:

1) How does the solar dynamo work and leads the solar magnetic cycle?

The solar magnetic cycle refers to the periodic variation in the number of solar spots on the solar surface, generally on a time scale of around 11 years. During each cycle, the magnetic posts of the sun undergo a reversal, with the magnetic polarities of the north and southern poles.

The global magnetic fields of the sun are generated by a dynamo process. The key to this process is the differential rotation of the sun which generates active regions and southern circulation which transport the magnetic flow to the poles. However, decades of heliosism investigations have revealed contradictory results on flow models deeply in the convection zone.

Some studies even suggest that pole flows at the base of the convection zone, which questions classic dynamo models. High latitude observations of magnetic fields and plasma The movements could provide missing evidence to refine or rethink these models.

2) What leads the quick solar wind?

The rapid solar wind – A supersonic flow of loaded particles – comes mainly from polar coronal holes and permeates the majority of the helospheric volume, dominating the physical environment of the interplanetary space.

However, critical details concerning the origin of this wind are not resolved. Does the wind come from dense plumes in coronal holes or less dense regions with each other? The processes focused on the waves, the magnetic reconnection or a combination of the two managers of the acceleration of the plasma in the wind? Direct polar imagery and in situ measures are necessary to settle the debate.

3) How do the weather events in space propagate through the solar system?

The time of helosphere spaces refers to disturbances of the helospheric environment caused by solar wind and solar eruptive activities. Extreme spatial meteorological events, such as large solar eruptions and CMEs, can considerably trigger spatial environmental disturbances such as severe geomagnetic and ionospheric storms, as well as spectacular Aurora phenomena, constituting a serious threat to the safety of high -tech activities.

To predict these events with precision, scientists must follow how magnetic structures and plasma flows evolve on a global scale, not only from the limited ecliptic view. Observations from an ecliptic point of view would give negligence of the CME propagation in the ecliptic plane.

Past efforts

Scientists have long recognized the importance of solar polar observations. The Ulysses mission, launched in 1990, was the first spacecraft to leave the ecliptic plane and to sample the solar wind on the poles. Its in situ instruments confirmed the key properties of the quick solar wind but lacked imaging capacity. More recently, the European Space AgencyThe solar orbit is gradually far from the ecliptic plan and should reach latitudes of around 34 ° in a few years. Although this represents remarkable progress, it is still far from the view necessary for a real polar view.

A certain number of ambitious mission concepts have been proposed in recent decades, including the solar polar imaging (SPI), the fleece in the sun (Polaris), the solar polar orbit telescope (Sport), the Solaris mission and the SOLAR Mission with high inclination (HISM). Some have planned to use advanced propulsion, such as solar sails, to reach high inclinations. Others invoked on gravity help gradually tilt their orbits. Each of these missions would carry both remote control instruments and to the remote control for image the poles of the sun and measure the key physical parameters above the poles.

The SPO Mission

The solar observatory in polar orbit (SPO) is designed specifically to overcome the limits of past and current missions. Scheduled for the launch in January 2029, SPO will use a Jupiter Gravity assist (JGA) to fold your trajectory out of the ecliptic plane. After several terrestrial flies and a carefully planned meeting with Jupiter, the spacecraft will settle in orbit of 1.5 years with a perihelion of approximately 1 AU and an inclination of up to 75 °. In its prolonged mission, SPO could climb to 80 °, offering the most direct sight of the Poles ever reached.

The lifespan of 15 years of the mission (including an prolonged mission period of 8 years) will allow it to cover both the minimum solar and the maximum, including the crucial period around 2035 when the next solar solar solar inversion and the expected polar field will occur. Throughout life, SPO will pass several times on the two poles, with prolonged high latitude observation windows which last more than 1000 days.

The SPO mission targets the breakthroughs on the three scientific questions mentioned above. To achieve its ambitious goals, SPO will take a series of several instruments with remote control and in situ. Together, they will provide a complete view of the Polish from the sun. The remote detection instruments include magnetic and heliosemal imaging (MHI) to measure magnetic fields and plasma flows on the surface, the extreme ultraviolet telescope (EUT) and the XIT imaging telescope (xit) to capture dynamic events in the large solar energy atmosphere, the visible-light coronagraph for track) The wind and solar wind rolls on 45 solar rays (1 AU). The in situ package includes a magnetometer and particle detectors to directly taste the solar wind and the interplanetary magnetic field. By combining these observations, SPO will not only capture images of the poles for the first time, but will also connect them to the flows of plasma and magnetic energy that shape the heliosphere.

SPO will not work in isolation. It should work in concert with a growing fleet of solar missions. These include the stereo mission, the Hinode satellite, the Solar dynamic observatory (SDO), The Interface Region Imaging Specrograph (IRIS), the advanced spatial solar observatory (ASO-S), the solar orbit, the Aditya-L1 mission, the Punch mission, as well as the next L5 missions (for example, the Vigil of Esa and the Lavso China mission). Together, these assets will form an unprecedented observation network. SPO’s fleece vantage will provide the missing piece, allowing an almost global 4π cover of the sun for the first time in human history.

Ahead

The sun remains our closest star, but in many ways, it is always a mystery. With SPO, scientists are ready to unlock some of its deepest secrets. The solar polar regions, once hidden in sight, will finally concentrate, reshaping our understanding of the star which supports life on earth.

The implications of the SPO extend far beyond academic curiosity. A more in -depth understanding of the solar dynamo could improve the predictions of the solar cycle, which in turn affects the weather forecast for space. Fast solar wind information will improve our ability to model the helospheric environment, criticism for the design of spacecrafts and astronaut safety. More importantly, better monitoring of space weather events could help protect modern technological infrastructure – navigation and communication satellites in aviation and earthly energy systems.

Reference: “Problem of the solar polar regions” by Yuanyong Deng, Hui Tian, ​​Jie Jiang, Shuhong Yang, Hao Li, Robert Cameron, Laurent Gizon, Louise Harra, Robert F. Wimmer-Schweingruber Pradeep Chitta, Jackie Davies, Fabio Favata, Li Feng, Xueshang Feng, Weiqun Gan, Jiansen He, Junfeng Hou, Zhenyong Hou, Chunlan Jin, Wenya Li, Jiaben Lin, Dibye Nandy, Vaibhav Pant pantad, Fang Shen, Yang Su, Shin Toriumi, Durgesh Tripathi, Linghua Wang, Jingjing Wang, Lidong Xia, Ming Xiong, Yihua Yan Liping Yang, Shanghai Yang Chinese Spatial Sciences Journal.
Two: 10.11728 / CJSS2025.04.2025-0054

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