Coronal loop: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 21:19, 29 January 2007

Revision as of 21:20, 29 January 2007

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The next major step in solar physics came at the launch of the [[Solar and Heliospheric Observatory]] (SOHO) in December [[1995]] from [[Cape Canaveral Air Force Station]] in [[Florida]], USA. SOHO originally had an operational lifetime of two years. The mission was extended to March [[2007]] due to its resounding success allowing SOHO to observe a complete 11 year solar cycle. SOHO continually faces the Sun holding a slow orbit around the First [[Lagrangian Point]] (L1) where the gravitational balance between the Sun and Earth provides a stable position for SOHO to orbit. SOHO is continually eclipsing the Sun from the Earth at a distance of approximately 1.5 million kilometres.

[[Image:Solar and Heliospheric Observatory|SOHO solar flare sun large 20031026 0119 eit 304.png|thumb|200px|left|A typical [[Solar and Heliospheric Observatory|SOHO]] image of the chromosphere and magnetic structure of the Sun. Some coronal loops evident.]]

SOHO is managed by scientists from the [[European Space Agency]] (ESA) and NASA. Comprising of more instruments than both TRACE and Yohkoh, this large solar mission was designed to look at the chain from the solar interior, the solar corona to the solar wind. SOHO has 12 instruments on board including the Coronal Diagnostic Spectrometer (CDS), the Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT), the Solar Ultraviolet Measurements of Emitted Radiation (SUMER) and the UltraViolet Coronagraph Spectrometer (UVCS) which are all used extensively in the study of the transition region and corona.