European probe snaps first images of the sun's south pole

The first-ever images of the sun’s south pole reveal a messy jumble of magnetic activity in a never-before-seen region of our nearest star

The first-ever images of the sun’s south pole reveal a messy jumble of magnetic activity in a never-before-seen region of our nearest star.

The images, taken by the Solar Orbiter spacecraft and released Wednesday by the European Space Agency, offer fresh insights into the sun’s behavior, its magnetic field and how it produces space weather.

“The sun is our nearest star, giver of life and potential disruptor of modern space and ground power systems, so it is imperative that we understand how it works and learn to predict its behaviour,” Carole Mundell, director of science at the European Space Agency (ESA), said in a statement. “These new unique views from our Solar Orbiter mission are the beginning of a new era of solar science.”

The images have already been a boon for heliophysicists, showing turbulent magnetic activity at the south pole as the sun ramps up to the most active phase of its natural cycle.

The solar cycle typically spans about 11 years, with the sun going from a quiet period of low magnetic activity to a highly active phase characterized by intense solar flares and solar storms. As the sun reaches peak activity — a phase known as the solar maximum — its magnetic poles flip, meaning the sun’s south pole becomes magnetic north.