On October 12, 2022, the European Space Agency's Solar Orbiter observed a rotating plasma formation resembling a serpent erupting from the Sun. This event, which followed a coronal mass ejection (CME), extended over 2 million kilometers and lasted more than three hours.
The observation was made using the Metis coronagraph, which blocks the Sun's glare to allow detailed viewing of the corona. This provided valuable insights into the dynamics of solar wind and CMEs. Researchers traced the origin of the "serpent" to the lower corona, a region known for storing magnetic energy.
The event highlights the process of magnetic reconnection, where open and closed magnetic field lines interact, potentially triggering solar flares and CMEs. Data from the Solar Orbiter, along with NASA's Parker probe, suggests that twisted flux ropes emerge during these events, forming the structural basis of CMEs. The observed event displayed a twisted flux rope originating from intense reconnection, which then released a significant CME. Images suggest that the twisting lessened as the structure moved away from the Sun.