ESA Video Captures Solar ‘Cyclone’ and Mysterious ‘UFOs’ Around the Sun

Rapid Summary

• A newly released ESA video shows a gigantic plume of solar wind in a “cyclone-like” configuration, captured over eight hours on October 12, 2022.
• The Solar Orbiter spacecraft recorded the twisting motion of solar wind particles spiraling outward from the sun, an event never observed before.
• The phenomenon occured after a massive solar flare created a coronal mass ejection (CME), with the pseudostreamer extending millions of kilometers and lasting around three hours.
• Researchers attributed the “helix” structure to magnetic field disturbances near the sun’s north pole during solar maximum activity.
• Other visual elements in the footage include distant stars appearing as flat lines due to video editing techniques used by ESA scientists.

Watch eerie UFOs and a solar cyclone take shape in stunning new ESA video