Spacecraft and specialized telescopes have been studying the sun closely for decades, probing the secrets of its spots, flares and corona. But neither human nor robotic eyes had properly seen the north or south poles of the sun.

On Wednesday, the European Space Agency released the first clear images of the sun’s south pole, which were captured in late March by its Solar Orbiter spacecraft.

“It’s the first time ever that humanity has had an image of the poles of the sun,” said Carole Mundell, director of science for the European Space Agency. “It’s a wonderful achievement.”

Scientists have had vague glimpses of the sun’s poles before. However, those side-on views have been akin to “looking through grass,” said Mathew Owens, a space physicist at the University of Reading in England, who added that it has been difficult to work out what is happening at the poles and how they differ from other regions of the star.