The Sun in 2020

 

 

These 366 images of the Sun were made in 2020 by the Proba-2 satellite that is continuously monitoring the changing activity of the Sun. The images were taken by the satellite’s SWAP camera, which works at extreme ultraviolet wavelengths to capture the Sun’s hot turbulent atmosphere (the corona) at temperatures of about a million degrees Celsius. In two images – 21 June and 14 December – a partial solar eclipse is visible from Proba-2’s point-of-view. 

 

2020 marked the start of a new solar activity cycle – cycle 25 – which lasts about 11 years on average. At the beginning of the year the Sun still showed low levels of activity, but at the end of the year it already showed signs of waking up. In the images of November and December, multiple active regions are visible. These regions represent areas of intense magnetic activity that can produce some of the most dramatic space weather events, such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections. This increase in activity is representative of a new growth phase in the Sun's activity cycle. 

 

2020 was an important year for solar research, with the launch of ESA's Solar Orbiter mission on 10 February. One of the key questions for ESA’s Solar Orbiter mission is to understand what drives the 11-year solar cycle.

 

Proba-2 has already supported Solar Orbiter during the mission’s preparation, as technology heritage has passed from the satellite’s SWAP imager to the Solar Orbiter Extreme Ultraviolet Imager. Proba-2 will continue observing the Sun and supporting scientific campaigns on Solar Orbiter and other missions in the coming years. In fact, next week already, Proba-2, Solar Orbiter and Parker Solar Probe will perform a joint observation campaign.