"Solar Orbiter Unravels Decades-Old Solar Enigma"

The Solar Orbiter spacecraft and NASA's Parker Solar Probe have provided the first simultaneous measurements of the large-scale configuration of the Sun's corona and the microphysical properties of the plasma, helping to solve the 65-year-old mystery of why the Sun's atmosphere is hotter than its surface. By comparing the newly measured rate of coronal heating to theoretical predictions, researchers have shown that turbulence in the solar atmosphere is likely responsible for transferring energy and heating the plasma. This groundbreaking research represents a significant step forward in understanding the coronal heating problem.