As it continues to study the Sun, the European Space Agency's (ESA) Solar Orbiter made another close approach to Venus. At 6:56 a.m. IST, the orbiter reached as near to the surface of Venus at 6,420 km to modify its orbit around the Sun. ESA claims that additional gravity assist flybys, such as the most recent one, will increase the orbiter's tilt and provide a clearer picture of the Sun's poles.
Solar Orbiter Successful Flyby
Currently, the Solar Orbiter project is taking the closest-ever photos of the Sun. These regular swings past the sweltering planet allow it to study the mysterious magnetic field of Earth's planetary sister.
Daniel Muller said that one of the probe's equipment measures Venus' bow shock during the move. A planet's magnetic field's Sun-facing region, or bow shock, is where the solar wind, a stream of charged particles, collides with the planet.
The poles are important for understanding the Sun's magnetic field, which governs space weather, which is why ESA wants to study them. Through the orbiter, scientists also seek to answer how the Sun produces the solar wind, a stream of electrically charged particles whose effects can be felt throughout the solar system.
It is clear that the Sun's poles rotate every 11 years, changing from north to south and vice versa. This is what causes the Sun's solar cycles and the subsequent sunspots. The orbiter would also provide an explanation for what causes this phenomenon that gives rise to spots on the Sun with the help of its four sets of in-situ instruments and six remote-sensing instruments.
According to the ESA, the orbiter will be able to see the Sun's poles clearly from an inclined orbit, which can be created by utilizing Venus' gravity. It will also adjust its orbit after each pass to reach an inclination of 18 degrees by early 2025. This is done for it to be in resonance with the planet.
ESA Solar Orbiter Venus Flyby
As it is in an elliptical orbit and its perihelion, according to Republic World, the solar orbiter orbits the Sun every five to six months.
Venus does not naturally produce a magnetic field due to the motion of molten metal within the planet, in contrast to Earth. As a result of the interplay between Venus' dense atmosphere and the solar wind, Venus' magnetic field is actually what scientists refer to as an induced magnetic field.
The measurements taken during the previous Venus fly in December 2020 and August 2021 showed that the magnetic field, despite being incredibly weak, extends at least 188,000 miles (300,000 km) into space on the side of Venus facing away from the Sun, Space reported. Additionally, the solar orbiter discovered that the magnetic field accelerates charged particles despite being weak and unstable.
ESA Solar Orbiter 2025 Mission
According to Universe Magazine, the Solar Orbiter's subsequent journey to Venus will take place in 2025. The expanded mission of the organization will therefore begin.
This time, the probe uses the planet's gravity to change the inclination of its orbit rather than perihelion. For this motion and the following three, it will be increased to 33°.
This will give Solar Orbiter a unique opportunity to observe the circumpolar sun regions up close, even if they are hidden from Earth's view.
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