Lower Austria help crucial

Predicting solar storms with technology fromNÖ

Predicting space weather: a probe with hi-tech from Lower Austria is closer to the gas ball than any other before.(Bild: ESA)

The flight took three and a half years: the "Solar Orbiter" has now reached the sun's orbit. The ESA probe has already set a record - as the closest human instrument to the ball of gas. The "Krone" knows why this has happened at just the right time and why a Lower Austrian company has contributed one of the "hottest" parts. 

They are a magnificent play of colors and rarely seen in our mountains: The Northern Lights, which have caused awe in recent days. On the other hand, these celestial phenomena indicate the increased occurrence of solar winds that hit the Earth's magnetic field. And this can also have less "beautiful" effects: in particular, when a solar wind turns into a solar storm, this can have consequences for sensitive electronic installations on Earth.