Sun’s south pole revealed for first time, in images from Solar Orbiter spacecraft

Groundbreaking observations map chaotic patchwork of magnetic activity, said to be key to understanding how sun's field flips

The sun's uncharted south pole has been revealed for the first time in striking images beamed back from the Solar Orbiter spacecraft.

The joint European Space Agency (ESA) and Nasa mission swooped below the planetary plane and, for the first time, captured the sun's mysterious polar regions. The groundbreaking observations also mapped a chaotic patchwork of magnetic activity at the sun's pole that scientists say is key to understanding how the sun's field flips roughly every 11 years.