Observing the Solar Corona: How Metis advances our understanding of solar wind, waves, CMEs, and shocks

For the first time in the history of solar physics,  the solar corona can be observed in its entirety radial extent . This achievement is made possible by the combined capabilities of a new generation of spaceborne coronagraphs—ASPIICS/PROBA‑3 probing the inner corona, Metis aboard Solar Orbiter covering the mid‑corona, and LASCO on SoHO together with CCOR aboard GOES19  and PUNCH extending the view outward. Together, these instruments provide unprecedented multi‑passband coverage from approximately 1.1 up to 30 solar radii.

Within this emerging observational framework, Metis plays a pivotal role. Its simultaneous visible‑light and ultraviolet HI Lyman‑α imaging, when integrated with complementary measurements from other missions, enables detailed diagnostics of key coronal plasma properties and large‑scale dynamics across the 1.7–9 solar radii range. In this review, it will be outlined the major advances achieved to date, including constraints on solar wind outflows (2D maps and fluctuations) and the characterization of density fluctuations associated with waves and dynamic phenomena such as eruptive prominences, CMEs, and CME‑driven shocks.