A coronal mass ejection just hit the ESA's Solar orbiter.

Just before a crucial pass of Venus, the solar-exploring Solar Orbiter spacecraft encountered a huge outburst of plasma from the sun.

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At 01:26 GMT on September 4, the spacecraft successfully completed its close approach to Venus (9:26 p.m. EDT Sept. 3).

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The Solar Orbiter was primarily designed to adjust its orbit during the close approach in order to move closer to the sun.

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But the probe also made further studies of Venus's enigmatic magnetic field during the flyby.

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Two and a half years after its 2020 launch, the Solar Orbiter is halfway through a ten-year mission to photograph

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the sun at its closest-ever distance and investigate the characteristics of the star's magnetic field.

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The spacecraft adjusts and tilts its orbit away from the ecliptic plane, where planets orbit, using Venus's gravity.

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