# Solar Orbiter Traces the Origin of a Mysterious S-Shaped Kink on the Sun

- Link: https://www.widthness.com/solar-orbiter-traces-the-origin-of-a-mysterious-s-shaped-kink-on-the-sun/
- Published: 2026-10-14T09:15:00-05:00
- Author: Curated by John Wysocki

Screenshot from the video “Solar snake spotted slithering across Sun’s surface” by the European Space Agency, ESA. Image credit: ESA & NASA/Solar Orbiter/EUI Team; acknowledgement: Frédéric Auchère, IAS. CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO. Article by Passant Rabie. Gizmodo – October 12, 2026. Research article: Nature Astronomy. In 2022, a Sun-observing probe flew through an S-shaped stream of charged particles pouring out of the star. These mysterious kinks, known as a switchback, can help scientists better understand what fuels dangerous solar storms—but their origin has remained a mystery. Now, by fingerprinting the particles that make up this stream, the Solar Orbiter spacecraft was able to pinpoint where it came from. […] Click here to view the original article at www.gizmodo.com Video: Solar snake spotted slithering across Sun’s surface – European Space Agency, ESA.