Launch news
Solar Orbiter tracks origin of mysterious magnetic switchbacks
The European Space Agency-led Solar Orbiter spacecraft has flown through an S-shaped kink known as a ‘switchback’ in the solar wind’s magnetic field. By fingerprinting the elusive particles within the switchback, Solar Orbiter has traced its origin back to the Sun’s surface and revealed more about solar magnetism – the unruly instigator of dangerous solar storms.
| Summary | The European Space Agency-led Solar Orbiter spacecraft has flown through an S-shaped kink known as a ‘switchback’ in the solar wind’s magnetic field. By fingerprinting the elusive particles within the switchback, Solar Orbiter has traced its origin back to the Sun’s surface and revealed more about solar magnetism – the unruly instigator of dangerous solar storms. |
|---|---|
| Date |
Provenance
| Source | Spaceflight News — Launch news |
|---|---|
| Feed | snapi/articles |
| Provider data as of | not stated |
| First observed here | 10 Oct 2026, 06:30 EDT |
| Last observed here | 10 Oct 2026, 19:18 EDT |
| In latest snapshot | Yes |
| Record identifier | f3e272d6-b4cf-5787-9dbc-fd8aac82db2f |
Local observation history
What this site observed; not complete provider history.
- — Added