Solar Orbiter Traces Origin of Mysterious S-Shaped Kink on the Sun

In 2022, the Solar Orbiter spacecraft flew through an S-shaped stream of charged particles known as a switchback and used its Solar Wind Analyser to pinpoint its source on the Sun's surface. A mix of ionized oxygen and carbon points to a process called interchange reconnection. The findings, published in Nature Astronomy, could improve predictions of extreme space weather.

• Solar Orbiter directly confirmed the S-shape of a switchback for the first time
• The SWA instrument detected oxygen and carbon ions from hot magnetic loops
• The kink originates from interchange reconnection on the Sun's surface
• The data could help forecast extreme space weather events