Latest news with #SPICE
Engadget
a day ago
- Science
- Engadget
Solar Orbiter captures images of the sun's pole for the first time
The Solar Orbiter has been observing the sun since 2021, but it recently went on a side trip to Venus which significantly tilted its orbit and gave it a good view of the sun's polar region. That is how it was able to capture images that will historically be known as humankind's first-ever views of the sun's pole. All our galaxy's planets and the other spacecraft we've deployed orbit the sun around an imaginary ecliptic plane along the star's equator. But thanks to the Solar Orbiter's Venus flyby, it now has a view of the sun from below its equator, allowing it to see the star's southern pole clearly. The images you see above were captured from an angle of 15 degrees below the equator on March 16 and 17, but the probe has reached the 17 degree maximum angle it could achieve since then. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. Three of the probe's instruments were responsible for the images. The Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager (PHI) imaged the sun in visible light and mapped its surface magnetic field. Meanwhile, the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) imaged the sun in ultraviolet light, and the Spectral Imaging of the Coronal Environment (SPICE) instrument captured light "coming from different temperatures of charged gas above the sun's surface, thereby revealing different layers of the sun's atmosphere." So what exactly was the Solar Orbiter able to observe at the sun's southern pole? Well, the pole's magnetic field, simply put, is a mess at the moment. See, the sun's magnetic field flips roughly every 11 years, and it's about to flip this year if it hasn't yet. Normally, a magnet has a clear north and south pole, but the orbiter's PHI instrument showed that both north and south polarity magnetic fields are present at the sun's south pole right now. "This happens only for a short time during each solar cycle, at solar maximum, when the Sun's magnetic field flips and is at its most active," ESA explained. After the flip, the magnetic field fixes itself so that the poles have single polarities. The process is gradual, however, and it will take five to six years to achieve solar minimum, wherein which the sun's magnetic field is at its most orderly. These solar cycles or regular magnetic field flips aren't fully understood yet, and the orbiter's observations could be the key to unlocking that knowledge. In addition, scientists used the orbiter's SPICE instrument to take Doppler measurements, or how fast clumps of solar material are moving. They then took that information to create a velocity map that shows how solar material moves within a specific layer of the sun. These measurements can show how the sun flings out particles into space in the form of solar winds, which is one of the orbiter's key goals.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Humanity takes its 1st look at the sun's poles: 'This is just the first step of Solar Orbiter's stairway to heaven' (images)
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The European Space Agency's Solar Orbiter has captured humanity's first-ever images of the sun's poles. If this doesn't seem like a big deal, consider that every image you have ever seen of the sun was taken from around our star's equator. That is because Earth, the other solar system planets, and all other modern spacecraft orbit the sun in a flat disc around it called the "ecliptic plane." This European Space Agency (ESA) sun-orbiting mission has done things a little differently, however, tilting its orbit out of that plane. This allowed the Solar Orbiter to image the sun from a whole new angle and in an entirely new way. The captured images of the solar south pole were taken between March 16 and 17, 2025, with the Solar Orbiter's Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager (PHI), Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI), and Spectral Imaging of the Coronal Environment (SPICE) instruments. They constitute humanity's first ever look at the sun's poles. This was the Solar Orbiter mission's first high-angle observation campaign of the sun, conducted at an angle of 15 degrees below the solar equator. Just a few days after snapping these images, the ESA spacecraft reached a maximum viewing angle of 17 degrees, which it sits in currently as it performs its first "pole-to-pole" orbit of our star. "Spacecraft normally orbit the sun on the flat disc called the ecliptic plane, just like most of the planets in our solar system. This is the most energy-efficient way to launch and maintain orbits," co-principal leader of the Solar Orbiter's Extreme Ultraviolet Imager instrument, Hamish Reid of the Mullard Space Science Laboratory at University College London (UCL) said in a statement to "These first images of the solar poles are just the start. Over the next few years, there is scope for discovery science. "We are not sure what we will find, and it is likely we will see things that we didn't know about before." Another ESA/NASA spacecraft, Ulysses, has flown over the poles of the sun, but this spacecraft lacked an imaging instrument, and its passage of our star was also much further away than that of the Solar Orbiter. The Solar Orbiter is so useful for observing the sun because each of its instruments sees our star in very different ways. The PHI captures solar observations in visible light and is able to map its magnetic field. Meanwhile, the EUI images our star in ultraviolet light, which allows scientists to study the superheated plasma in the sun's outer atmosphere, the corona, which can reach temperatures as great as 5.4 million degrees Fahrenheit (around 3 million degrees Celsius). This could help solar scientists determine how the corona can reach temperatures much greater than the sun's surface, the photosphere, despite being much further away from the solar core, where the vast majority of the sun's heat is generated. The SPICE instrument of the Solar Orbiter, responsible for the bottom row of images in the picture above, is capable of capturing light emitted by plasmas at different temperatures above the surface of the sun. This helps to model the different layers of the solar atmosphere. Comparing these three different but complementary methods of observing the sun should allow solar scientists to map the flow of material through the outer layers of the sun. This effort could reveal hitherto undiscovered and unexpected patterns of movement, like vortices around the poles of the sun similar to those spotted above the poles of Venus and Saturn. All that is for the future, so what has this pioneering approach to solar observations revealed thus far? The main aim of the shift in Solar Orbiter's orbit around the sun is to build a more complete picture of our star's magnetic activity. This could help explain the sun's 11-year cycle that sees its activity increase toward solar maximum before the poles flip and a new cycle begins. "Being able to observe the poles is vital for understanding how the sun's magnetic field operates on a global scale, leading to an 11-year cycle in the sun's activity," Lucie Green of Mullard Space Science Laboratory at UCL, who has been working with the Solar Orbiter since 2005, said. "We'll see previously unobserved high-latitude flows that carry magnetic elements to the polar regions, and in doing so sow the fundamental seeds for the next solar cycle." Indeed, this approach has already revealed things we didn't know about our star's most southern region and its magnetism. "We didn't know what exactly to expect from these first observations – the sun's poles are literally terra incognita,' Sami Solanki, who leads the PHI instrument team from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS), said in a statement. One of the first discoveries made by the Solar Orbiter is the fact that the magnetic fields around the sun's southern poles appear to be, for lack of a better phrase, a complete mess. While standard magnetic fields have well-defined north and south poles, these new observations reveal that north and south polarities are both found at the sun's southern seems to happen at solar maximum when the poles of the sun are about to flip. Following this exchange of poles, the fields at the north and south poles will maintain an orderly single polarity during solar minimum until solar maximum during the next 11-year cycle. "How exactly this build-up occurs is still not fully understood, so Solar Orbiter has reached high latitudes at just the right time to follow the whole process from its unique and advantageous perspective," Solanki Solar Orbiter observations also revealed that while the equator of the sun, where the most sunspots appear, possesses the strongest magnetic fields, those at the poles of our star have a complex and ever-changing structure. The Solar Orbiter's SPICE instrument provided another first for the ESA spacecraft, allowing scientists to track elements via their unique emissions as they move through the sun. Tracing the specific spectral lines of elements like hydrogen, carbon, oxygen, neon, and magnesium, a process called "Doppler measurement," revealed how materials flow through different layers of the sun. The Solar Orbiter also allowed scientists to measure the speed of carbon atoms as they are ejected from the sun in plumes and jets. "The Solar Orbite''s new vantage point will give us a fuller view of how solar wind expands to form a vast bubble around the sun and its planets called the heliosphere," Principal Investigator on the Solar Wind Analyser and Mullard Space Science Laboratory at UCL researcher Chris Owen said in a statement to "We will now see this happen in three dimensions, enhancing the single slice we get from observing only in the ecliptic plane." SPICE team leader, Frédéric Auchère from the University of Paris-Saclay, explained that Doppler measurements of the solar wind flowing from the sun by other sun-orbiting missions have suffered because they could only get a grazing view of the solar poles. "Measurements from high latitudes, now possible with Solar Orbiter, will be a revolution in solar physics," Auchère added. Related Stories: — The sun's magnetic field will flip soon. Here's what to expect — How the Sun's Magnetic Field Works — Magnetic fields appear to be as old as the universe itself. What created them? Perhaps the most exciting element of these Solar Orbiter results is the fact that the best is yet to come. This initial data has not yet been fully analyzed, for instance, an image of the solar north pole has been captured but not downloaded yet. Also, data from the ESA mission's first full "pole-to-pole" orbit of the sun, which began in February 2025, will not arrive at Earth until October 2025. "This is just the first step of Solar Orbiter's 'stairway to heaven.' In the coming years, the spacecraft will climb further out of the ecliptic plane for ever better views of the sun's polar regions," ESA's Solar Orbiter project scientist Daniel Müller said. "These data will transform our understanding of the sun's magnetic field, the solar wind, and solar activity."
Associated Press
22-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
SPICE (SPICE) Is Now Available for Trading on LBank Exchange
Road Town, British Virgin Islands--(Newsfile Corp. - March 21, 2025) - In a significant move for cryptocurrency enthusiasts, LBank Exchange, a premier global digital asset trading platform, has announced the listing of SPICE (SPICE) on March 20, 2025. The SPICE/USDT trading pair ( is now available to users of LBank Exchange. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: The GameFi sector has emerged as one of the most dynamic and innovative intersections of blockchain technology and interactive entertainment. By integrating play-to-earn mechanics with decentralized economies, GameFi has transformed gaming from a purely recreational activity into a financially rewarding ecosystem. The rise of AI and community-driven content has further enhanced this evolution, making modern gaming experiences more immersive, user-centric, and culturally significant. As the industry continues to mature, projects that successfully blend deep intellectual properties (IPs), robust token economies, and decentralized governance are positioned to lead the space. SPICE: The Ultimate Fusion of Gaming, AI, and Crypto in the Web3 Revolution At the forefront of this evolution is SPICE, the core token of the Lowlife Forms Gameverse （No.1 web3 game on the Epic Store Wishlist: ）-a high-energy, degen-friendly universe where gaming, AI, and crypto meme culture converge. Developed by Right Trigger Entertainment, SPICE fuels a cutting-edge web3 gaming ecosystem centered around Lowlife Forms, a massively modular sci-fi RPG shooter. This project is not just another web3 game; it is a movement, a digital 'Cult' where players, creators, and AI-driven NPCs shape an evolving narrative and game economy. With episodic content launches and a commitment to community-driven development, SPICE aims to redefine engagement in the web3 gaming space. One of the key differentiators of SPICE lies in its foundational synergy between gaming, AI, and crypto culture. Right Trigger Entertainment, composed of veterans from the AAA gaming industry and crypto OGs, brings a unique expertise in crafting compelling IPs and expansive virtual economies. AI plays a pivotal role in Lowlife Forms, powering NPC behaviors, creative asset generation, and dynamic in-game events. This blend of AI-driven interactivity and user ownership fosters a truly immersive and ever-evolving game world where players have unprecedented creative influence. The project's deep understanding of meme culture and the crypto ethos ensures that it resonates with its degen-friendly audience, making it not just a game but an entertainment revolution. Beyond gameplay, SPICE is designed to be the cornerstone of a vast, cross-IP gameverse economy. The token serves multiple purposes, including governance, in-game transactions, and value accrual through participation. The protocol empowers the community to co-develop IPs, vote on key gameverse decisions, and even gain financial rewards from ecosystem growth. Revenue is generated from sales of in-game assets, trading fees, merchandise, and cross-media IP expansion, ensuring sustainability and long-term viability. As engagement scales, the value of SPICE appreciates, reinforcing the token's role as a key driver of the ecosystem. The mantra 'He who controls SPICE controls the Gameverse' reflects the economic and governance power vested in its holders. SPICE Tokenomics The tokenomics of SPICE ensures a balanced and strategic allocation of resources to sustain growth and decentralization. Community rewards make up the largest share at 40%, incentivizing active participation and ecosystem engagement. Core contributors receive 30%, reflecting the commitment of Right Trigger Entertainment's seasoned team. Investors across various funding rounds hold 8%, while the studio reserve accounts for 6.5% to support future development. Additional allocations include liquidity (4.5%), the ecosystem fund (2.9%), exchanges (2.5%), staking rewards (2.5%), advisors (1.6%), and other groups (1.5%). With a structured economic model, SPICE is set to be the gold standard in web3 gaming, blending AI innovation, meme culture, and decentralized governance into an unprecedented gaming experience. Learn More about SPICE: X: (Game x) (Token x) Telegram: About LBank Founded in 2015, LBank is a top crypto exchange offering financial derivatives, asset management, and secure trading. With over 15 million users across 210+ regions, LBank ranks in the top 20 for spot trading and top 15 for derivatives trading globally, ensuring fund integrity and supporting global crypto adoption. Leveraging its acute market insight and expertise, LBank always takes the lead in spotting and listing Alpha altcoins. The platform was among the first to list popular gem coins like BONK, BOME, and FLOKI, as well as emerging favorites like NEIRO, MOODENG, GOATSEUS, and PNUT, offering impressive returns to investors. Telegram Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Instagram YouTube Press contact: Business Contact: LBK Blockchain Co. Limited LBank Exchange
