The Sun from space: Discoveries from space missions over the past fifty years

Abstract The Sun is a magnetically active star that displays many exciting phenomena when observed from space in X-rays, extreme ultraviolet wavelengths and visible light: coronal holes, active regions, magnetic loops, flares, huge mass eruptions and the solar wind. Observations from space have revealed incredible mysteries about the Sun’s atmosphere and its extended corona, and even the interior of the Sun. This paper reviews and illustrates the progress and achievements over the last fifty years, presenting selected instruments and observations from fifteen solar missions, starting from Skylab in 1973 up to the latest Solar Orbiter mission, giving unprecedented insight into how the Sun works.