Solar Orbiter spots magnetic avalanches driving major solar flare
Just as avalanches on snowy mountains begin with the motion of a small amount of snow, Solar Orbiter has revealed that a powerful solar flare can start from initially weak magnetic disturbances that rapidly escalate into a large-scale eruption. During a close approach to the Sun on 30 September 2024, the ESA-led Solar Orbiter spacecraft captured one of its most detailed views yet of a larg