A new space mission, PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere), has sent back its first photos after launching into polar orbit on March 11. The goal is to study how the sun’s outer atmosphere transitions into solar wind, which appears as auroras on Earth.
The PUNCH spacecraft consists of four small satellites that work together to create an 8,000-mile-wide space weather detector. Each satellite has a camera that takes three RAW images every four minutes through different polarizing filters. This allows scientists to see the trajectory and speed of coronal mass ejections in three dimensions, improving current measurements.
The first images show mostly stars and “zodiacal light,” a haze of dust around the sun and inner solar system. To reveal the faint solar wind signal, researchers need to carefully eliminate background noise. The PUNCH spacecraft is currently undergoing a 90-day commissioning period before data processing begins in June.
This mission will help scientists better understand the sun’s impact on our solar system and improve aurora observations.
Source: https://petapixel.com/2025/04/18/3d-photos-of-solar-wind-will-reveal-more-about-what-we-see-as-auroras