Spacecraft Finds Sun Has Uniform Magnetic Field, Not Magnetic Poles

The Ulysses spacecraft has found the sun to have a uniform magnetic field rather than magnetic poles, according to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

The spacecraft’s finding differs greatly from the way the sun’s magnetic field appears in Earth-based observations, which indicate the sun has magnetic poles. Ulysses did not detect any magnetic poles, JPL said.

Ulysses, the first spacecraft to study the sun’s high latitudes, completed its pass over the sun’s southern pole on Nov. 5. The sun’s polar regions are considered to begin at about 70 degrees north and south of the sun’s equator.

Ulysses was released from the space shuttle Discovery and launched in 1990 on a $750-million mission. The mission is jointly managed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the European Space Agency.

Ulysses is now heading toward the sun’s equator in a huge orbit far above the star. On March 12, 1995, Ulysses will be at the closest point of its solar exploration, 120 million miles above the sun.