Abstract

The launches of Parker Solar Probe in August 2018 and Solar Orbiter in February 2020 have opened up a new era in our exploration of the Sun and how it influences the solar system and indeed our lives on Earth. Parker is travelling very close to the Sun, measuring the solar wind particles and fields in a pristine state. Solar Orbiter, carrying a unique combination of telescopes and in situ instruments, is allowing us to see how fine scale structure of the Sun affects the state of the outflowing solar wind. While both missions are at an early stage, we already have a great deal of rich data. I will present some of the early key results from the missions, including magnetic “switchbacks,” fine scale structures on the Sun, waves and shocks. I will also discuss prospects for the missions over the next few years and what we hope to learn about the dynamics of the nearest star.