This year, for the first time in history, we got the first image of the polar region of the Sun . The European Space Agency’s Solar Orbiter mission was shifted to an orbit with a tilt compared to the plane of the Solar System, and this has led to the first exciting observations. The first science from that incredible view has now been reported, and there are some significant surprises. The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.

Astronomers have been able to study the magnetic field in the Sun's polar regions for the first time. The magnetic field of the Sun underpins its 11-year-long cycle of activity, and what goes on at the pole is important, even though we have not been able to observe it like this before.

The solar magnetic

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