Nasa has released the first panoramic view of the sun
Posted: February 15th, 2011 | Author: Michael Courtenay | Filed under: Technoid Computer News | Tags: NASA, Stereo, Sun | 1 Comment ».
The photo comes courtesy of NASA’s twin STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) spacecraft, which aligned exactly opposite each other on opposite sides of the sun to capture the image..
The ability to see the whole sun, front to back, will allow scientists to better understand complicated solar weather patterns and plan for future robotic or crewed spacecraft missions throughout the solar system, researchers said.
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“The sun is a truly complex object which influences many aspects of our lives,” Richard Harrison, principal investigator for the U.K. instruments on STEREO, said in a statement. “In the same way that you would not expect to understand the workings of the brain by studying just a small part of it, a global investigation into the nature of our star as a complete object is essential to understanding how it works.”
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NASA has been building toward this moment since Oct. 2006 when the STEREO probes left Earth, split up, and headed for positions on opposite sides of the sun (movie). Feb. 6, 2011, was the date of “opposition”—i.e., when STEREO-A and -B were 180 degrees apart, each looking down on a different hemisphere. NASA’s Earth-orbiting Solar Dynamics Observatory is also monitoring the sun 24/7. Working together, the STEREO-SDO fleet should be able to image the entire globe for the next 8 years.
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Harrison is also co-investigator of NASA’s SDO mission (Solar Dynamics Observatory), which contributed to the new 360-degree view with high-resolution sun photos taken from orbit.
Scientists particularly want to better predict space weather and the violent eruptions that can spout from the sun’s surface. These eruptions can damage satellites, disrupt communications and disable power systems on Earth.
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“This is a big moment in solar physics,” says Vourlidas. “STEREO has revealed the sun as it really is–a sphere of hot plasma and intricately woven magnetic fields.”
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“Solar missions such as STEREO and SDO not only give us more information about star formation and evolution throughout our universe, but are of vital importance in our quest to further understand the sun’s processes and the effect they can have on our planet and way of life,” said David Parker, director of space science and exploration for the U.K. Space Agency. “This spectacular 360-degree view is another triumph for the STEREO mission, which continues to obtain some of the best images yet of the sun.”
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“Consider the following: In the past, an active sunspot could emerge on the far side of the sun completely hidden from Earth. Then, the sun’s rotation could turn that region toward our planet, spitting flares and clouds of plasma, with little warning, not anymore,” says Bill Murtagh, a senior forecaster at NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder, Colorado. “Farside active regions can no longer take us by surprise. Thanks to STEREO, we know they’re coming.”
The two identical spacecraft of the NASA STEREO mission were launched in October 2006. They are offset from one another, one flying ahead of the Earth and the other behind. SDO is the first mission in NASA’s Living with a Star program and was launched in February 2010. SDO’s unique orbit allows high-resolution images of the sun to be recorded every three-quarters of a second.
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“There are many fundamental puzzles underlying solar activity,” says Vourlidas. “By monitoring the whole sun, we can find missing pieces.”
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Researchers say these first-look whole sun images are just a hint of what’s to come. Movies with even higher resolution and more action will be released in the days and weeks ahead as more data are processed. Check out the video at NASA Stay tuned!
[...] The photo comes courtesy of NASA’s twin STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) spacecraft, which aligned exactly opposite each other on opposite sides of the sun to capture the image. READ MORE [...]