Solar Orbiter sends closest images of Sun, reveals mysterious 'campfires'

As the spacecraft flew within 48 million miles of the Sun, all 10 instruments flicked on, and Solar Orbiter snapped the closest pictures of the giant star to date

Scientists at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) observed a unique phenomenon near the surface of the sun— miniature solar flares, dubbed “campfires.” The new revelation comes as Solar Orbiter, a new Sun-observing mission became the first spacecraft to take images of the Sun’s surface from a closer distance. 

Releasing the first images on Thursday, Holly Gilbert, NASA project scientist for the mission in a press briefing said, “These unprecedented pictures of the Sun are the closest we have ever obtained. These amazing images will help scientists piece together the Sun’s atmospheric layers,