Solar Orbiter spots a radio burst from the Sun

Up to several times a day, a ‘solar flare’ erupts from the Sun, accelerating high-energy electrons into space (red dashed line). These electrons release radio waves as they interact with other charged particles around the Sun (green circles). The radio waves are detected by the ESA-led Solar Orbiter spacecraft (wavy green lines).

The graph on the right shows real data from Solar Orbiter’s Radio and Plasma Waves (RPW) instrument. As the electrons move further into space, away from the Sun, there are fewer charged particles to interact with, and the radio frequency drops. The ‘hockey stick’ shape is a real radio burst in action!