Scientists discover explosive origins of superspeed electrons streaming from the sun

Solar Orbiter took this image of the sun during its close approach in March 2022. At that time, the spacecraft was closer to the star than the solar system's innermost planet Mercury.

The joint European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA Solar Orbiter spacecraft has tracked electrons traveling at nearly the speed of light back to the sun, finding they originated in different types of solar outbursts.

Solar Orbiter detected these so-called Solar Energetic Electrons (SEEs) in space after being accelerated to high energies, and researchers were able to pinpoint their source in an attempt to better understand the physics of the sun.