Ulysses Stories

Planetary Scientists Close in on Saturn’s Elusive Rotation

Planetary Scientists Close in on Saturn’s Elusive Rotation December 12, 2007 (Source: ESA) Saturn’s Radio Rotation Somewhere deep below Saturn’s cloud tops, the planet rotates at a constant speed. Determining this interior period of rotation has proven extremely complicated. Now,…

Ulysses at Jupiter

An artist's impression of Ulysses spacecraft at Jupiter. Ulysses used Jupiter's powerful gravity to hurl it out of the Plane of the Ecliptic (where most planets and satellites orbit) so it could study the polar regions of the Sun.

Ulysses Reaches the Sun’s North Pole

For the second time in its 11-year lifetime, ESA's Ulysses spacecraft is about to fly over the Sun's north pole.

Ulysses Sees the Sun Begin to Quiet Down

Order is returning to the solar wind as the Sun begins to shake off the chaos that has characterised its behaviour during the recent peak in its 11-year activity cycle.

Ulysses Spacecraft Observes Surprising Reach of Solar Activity

Once every 11 years, the sun's magnetic field flips over.

Ulysses Observes the Sun at Solar Maximum

As the recent appearance of the largest sunspot for 10 years shows, our nearest star, the Sun, is prone to spells of intense, violent activity and unexpected, dramatic change.