The Solar Close Observations and Proximity Experiments (SCOPE) mission will send a spacecraft into the solar atmosphere at a low altitude of just 5 R_sun from the solar center. It aims to elucidate the mechanisms behind solar eruptions and coronal heating, and to directly measure the coronal magnetic field. The mission will perform in situ measurements of the current sheet between coronal mass ejections and their associated solar flares, and energetic particles produced by either reconnection or fast-mode shocks driven by coronal mass ejections. This will help to resolve the nature of reconnections in current sheets, and energetic particle acceleration regions. To investigate coronal heating, the mission will observe nano-flares on scales smaller than 70 km in the solar corona and regions smaller than 40 km in the photosphere, where magnetohydrodynamic waves originate. To study solar wind acceleration mechanisms, the mission will also track the process of ion charge-state freezing in the solar wind. A key achievement will be the observation of the coronal magnetic field at unprecedented proximity to the solar photosphere. The polar regions will also be observed at close range, and the inner edge of the solar system dust disk may be identified for the first time. This work presents the detailed background, science, and mission concept of SCOPE and discusses how we aim to address the questions mentioned above.

2025年11月28日、ヨーロッパの航空機メーカーであるエアバスはジェット旅客機のA320で「強い太陽放射によって飛行制御の機能に重要なデータが破損する可能性がある」として、各航空会社にA320の運航停止を要請しました。

Airbus received global attention after a safety vulnerability was detected in its A320 jets, prompting an emergency software update. Airlines worldwide scrambled to implement the fix, initially causing disruptions. The rapid response was part of Airbus' effort to avoid a crisis similar to Boeing's past issues.

On the chilly night of November 10, 2025, as people around the world went about their daily routines, something extraordinary was unfolding high above the Earth, visible only to the most advanced solar telescopes. A pair of powerful solar flares—two X-class eruptions—erupted from a sunspot group on the surface of the Sun. These flares, among the most potent phenomena our solar system has to offer, were captured in unprecedented detail by the GREGOR solar telescope on the island of Tenerife, Spain. It was a stroke of luck—a rare combination of clear skies, perfect conditions, and state-of-the-art technology—that allowed scientists to observe these flares at all. And the images they gathered revealed something remarkable about the Sun’s volatile surface. The solar flares were part of Solar Cycle 25, the current 11-year period of solar activity, which has already brought more sunspots, solar flares, and spectacular auroras to our skies. But these particular flares weren’t just another routine burst of energy. They were intense, dazzling, and linked to some of the most dynamic forces in the universe. The flares triggered massive coronal mass ejections (CMEs), flinging bursts of charged particles into space and lighting up the night skies with auroras, as Earth’s magnetic field interacted with the solar wind. ## A Rare Window into Solar Fury Observing solar flares of this intensity is no small feat. For one, they don’t always happen in the right place or at the right time. As Professor Carsten Denker, head of the Solar Physics section at the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics in Potsdam, puts it, “Strong flares occur either on the backside of the sun, or during the night, or when the weather is cloudy, or when the seeing conditions are poor, or when they are just outside the field of view, where the telescope is pointing.” These variables make observing and studying solar flares from Earth incredibly challenging. But on those two days in November 2025, luck was on the scientists’ side, and they were able to observe two X-class flares in real-time with the 1.5-meter GREGOR telescope. This was no ordinary solar flare. The group of sunspots responsible—NOAA 14274—produced not just one, but an entire series of explosive flares. In fact, over the course of their activity, these sunspots released 135 C-class flares, 15 M-class flares, and 5 X-class flares. The most powerful flare, X5.1, occurred on November 11, 2025, ranking as the sixth strongest flare of Solar Cycle 25. And while most of the sun’s activities remain distant and intangible to us here on Earth, this particular outburst sent a flurry of solar particles into space, which, in turn, gave us the stunning auroras that illuminated our skies in the days that followed. ## Decoding the Magnetic Dance of the Sun But what exactly was happening on the Sun’s surface to create such an explosive event? The answer lies in the tangled and twisted magnetic fields that govern the behavior of sunspots. These sunspots, regions where intense magnetic fields emerge from the Sun’s interior, create an environment ripe for explosive energy release. As these magnetic fields twist and stretch, they store vast amounts of energy, much like a coiled spring ready to snap. According to Dr. Meetu Verma, a solar scientist at AIP and co-author of the study, “The penumbral fibrils, which typically extend radially from the dark umbral core, were strongly curved and braided.” This was a clear sign that the magnetic fields were highly stressed and on the verge of unleashing their stored energy. These twisted, braided filaments are the precursor to the eruption that would soon follow. In this case, the energy was released explosively, sending waves of charged particles into space and triggering the solar flare. The team was able to observe these magnetic dynamics with incredible precision. The GREGOR telescope’s high-resolution cameras captured details on the Sun’s surface down to just 100 kilometers—an astonishingly fine scale for solar observations. The intricacies of the sunspot’s behavior—its rotation, shear motions, and the twisted nature of its magnetic fields—gave the scientists the crucial insights they needed into how solar flares are born. As the solar flares grew more intense, their effects became visible to the naked eye here on Earth. Solar flares like these trigger coronal mass ejections, or CMEs—huge bursts of solar wind that can affect everything in their path. When these energetic particles collide with Earth’s magnetic field, they create the stunning auroras that dance across polar skies. It’s a direct consequence of the dynamic interactions between the Sun and our planet, and this particular burst provided a vivid, living example of that connection. ## A Look Behind the Telescope The observations themselves were an impressive technical achievement. The GREGOR solar telescope, with its high-resolution Fast Imager, allowed scientists to capture 40,000 datasets—each one providing critical data about the Sun’s behavior. These datasets were then processed and restored to recover the fine structure of the sunspots, ultimately revealing the intricate and violent dance of magnetic forces that gave birth to the flares. But the data collected during this campaign is far from the end of the story. Scientists are still analyzing the hundreds of thousands of individual frames to piece together a more complete picture of the flare evolution. For now, the published images provide an initial look at what these solar flares look like in the highest resolution ever achieved. “We were extremely lucky to cover the evolution of two of the X-class flares on 10 and 11 November 2025,” says Prof. Denker. His excitement is palpable, as this type of observation rarely happens. The data from this campaign will inform solar physics research for years to come, providing insights not just into the flares themselves but into the magnetic fields that drive them. ## Why This Research Matters Understanding the mechanics of solar flares is not just about satisfying human curiosity about the Sun. It has real-world implications for life on Earth and beyond. Solar flares and coronal mass ejections have the potential to disrupt satellite communications, GPS systems, and power grids. The more we understand about the conditions that lead to these explosive events, the better equipped we’ll be to predict and mitigate their impacts. Moreover, this study highlights the importance of solar research as we enter the peak years of Solar Cycle 25, where more intense solar activity is expected. With advanced telescopes like GREGOR, scientists are beginning to peel back the layers of the Sun’s behavior with an unprecedented level of detail, helping us understand the forces that drive not only our star but the very structure of our solar system. In the end, this research reminds us how much there is still to learn about the Sun, our closest star, and how its invisible energy shapes the world we live in. It’s a testament to human ingenuity, the power of advanced technology, and the unyielding desire to explore the universe around us. As scientists continue their work, we can only imagine what new revelations will emerge from the heart of the Sun, shedding light on the mysteries that remain hidden in its fiery depths. **More information:** Carsten Denker et al, The Calm before the Storm: High Spatial Resolution Mosaic of Active Region NOAA 14274 at the Onset of an X1.2 Flare, _Research Notes of the AAS_ (2025). DOI: 10.3847/2515-5172/ae230b

Airlines restore A320 operations as Airbus completes over 5,000 urgent software updates, with around 100 aircraft still awaiting intervention after an EASA directive.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency said in a directive that a JetBlue flight on Oct. 30 experienced an "uncommanded and limited pitch down event."

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency said in a directive that a JetBlue flight on Oct. 30 experienced an "uncommanded and limited pitch down event."

Hundreds of flights may be delayed or canceled this holiday weekend after Airbus discovered a potential data corruption issue.

Comprehensive up-to-date news coverage, aggregated from sources all over the world by Google News.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency said in a directive that a JetBlue flight on Oct. 30 experienced an "uncommanded and limited pitch down event."

Comprehensive up-to-date news coverage, aggregated from sources all over the world by Google News.

Hundreds of flights may be delayed or canceled this holiday weekend after Airbus discovered a potential data corruption issue.