Closest-ever photo of Sun

European Space Agency's (ESA) and NASA Solar Orbiter has snapped images of the Sun in unprecedented detail. The images were taken on March 7, when the spacecraft was crossing directly between the Earth and Sun at a distance of roughly 75 million km, half way between our world and its parent star, the ESA said in a statement.

One of the images, taken by the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) shows the Sun's full disc and outer atmosphere, the corona in the highest resolution image ever taken.

Another image, taken by the Spectral Imaging of the Coronal Environment (SPICE) instrument, represents the first image of a full Sun -- the first-of-its kind in 50 years.

It was taken at the Lyman-beta wavelength of ultraviolet light that is emitted by hydrogen gas.