SOHO Space Science Update stills
Click on the thumbnails to view the full-sized JPEG images.
1. Polar plumes
SOURCES OF THE SOLAR WIND? --- "Plumes" of outward flowing, hot gas in the
Sun's atmosphere may be one source of the solar "wind" of charged particles.
These images, taken March 7, 1996, by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory
(SOHO), show (top) magnetic fields on the sun's surface near the south solar
pole; (middle) an ultraviolet image of the 1 million degree plumes from the same
region; and (bottom) an ultraviolet image of the "quiet" solar atmosphere closer
to the surface. The top image was taken by the Michelson-Doppler Imager/Solar
Oscillations Investigation instrument. The center and bottom images were taken
by the Extreme-ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT). These images
represent the first opportunity scientists have had to see the
detailed development over time of the plume structures in which the solar wind
is accelerated, at least at the solar poles. Because of SOHO's continuous view
of the Sun, scientists have been able to make movies that allow us to
understand the relationship between the magnetic field and the polar plumes.
SOHO is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European
Space Agency. The spacecraft was launched by NASA Dec. 2, 1995 from Cape
Canaveral Air Station in Florida. Science operations for the SOHO spacecraft
are being conducted by a NASA-ESA team from the Experiment Operations Facility
at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt. Md. The spacecraft is
presently in a halo orbit around a point known as the "L1 Lagrangian point"
approximately 930,000 miles (1.5 million kilometers) from Earth, where
gravitational forces of the Earth and Sun balance one another.
2. A new look at the Sun
A NEW LOOK AT THE SUN --- This image of 1.5-million degree Celsius gas in
the Sun's thin, outer atmosphere (corona) was taken March 13, 1996 by the
Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope onboard the Solar and
Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft. Every feature in the image traces
magnetic field structures. Because of the high quality instrument, we can see
more suttle and detail magnetic features than ever before. This image is the
first time we have been able to get such images except during five-minute rocket
flights. Because of SOHO's view of the Sun, science researchers have been able
to make movies that show the dynamic every changing nature of the "quiet Sun."
SOHO is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European
Space Agency. The spacecraft was launched by NASA Dec. 2, 1995 from Cape
Canaveral Air Station in Florida. Science operations for the SOHO spacecraft
are being conducted by a NASA-ESA team from the Experiment Operations Facility
at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt. Md. The spacecraft is
presently in a halo orbit around a point known as the "L1 Lagrangian point"
approximately 930,000 miles (1.5 million kilometers) from Earth, where
gravitational forces of the Earth and Sun balance one another.
3. The unquiet Sun
3. THE UNQUIET SUN--- This sequence of images of the the Sun in ultraviolet
light was taken by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft on
Feb. 11, 1996 from its unique vantage point at the "L1" gravity neutral point 1
million miles sunward from the Earth. An "eruptive prominence" or blob of
60,000-degree gas, over 80,000 miles long, was ejected at a speed of at least
15,000 miles per hour. The gaseous blob is shown to the left in each image.
These eruptions occur when a significant amount of cool dense plasma or ionized
gas escapes from the normally closed, confining, low-level magnetic fields of
the Sun's atmosphere to streak out into the interplanetary medium, or
heliosphere. Eruptions of this sort can produce major disruptions in the near
Earth environment, affecting communications, navigation systems and even power
grids. SOHO, with its uninterrupted view of the Sun, can observe such events
continually, and allow us for the first time to get a better understanding of
how such violent events occur. SOHO is observing these events during the current minimum phase of the
sun's 11-year activity cycle. The images were obtained at wavelengths
absorbed by the Earth's atmosphere by the Extreme ultraviolet Imaging
Telescope.
SOHO is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European
Space Agency. The spacecraft was launched by NASA Dec. 2, 1995 from Cape
Canaveral Air Station in Florida. Science operations for the SOHO spacecraft
are being conducted by a NASA-ESA team from the Experiment Operations Facility
at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt. Md.
For much more
information on the SOHO mission, try the
SOHO home page.
For the
latest images from SOHO and other space and ground-based
observatories, try the SDAC
current solar
images page.
Web curator:
Joseph B. Gurman
Responsible NASA official:
Joseph B. Gurman,
Facility Scientist, Solar Data Analysis Center
gurman@uvsp.nascom.nasa.gov
+1 301 286-4767
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Solar Physics Branch / Code 682
Greenbelt, MD 20771
Last revised - J.B. Gurman
SOURCES OF THE SOLAR WIND? --- "Plumes" of outward flowing, hot gas in the
Sun's atmosphere may be one source of the solar "wind" of charged particles.
These images, taken March 7, 1996, by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory
(SOHO), show (top) magnetic fields on the sun's surface near the south solar
pole; (middle) an ultraviolet image of the 1 million degree plumes from the same
region; and (bottom) an ultraviolet image of the "quiet" solar atmosphere closer
to the surface. The top image was taken by the Michelson-Doppler Imager/Solar
Oscillations Investigation instrument. The center and bottom images were taken
by the Extreme-ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT). These images
represent the first opportunity scientists have had to see the
detailed development over time of the plume structures in which the solar wind
is accelerated, at least at the solar poles. Because of SOHO's continuous view
of the Sun, scientists have been able to make movies that allow us to
understand the relationship between the magnetic field and the polar plumes.
SOHO is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European
Space Agency. The spacecraft was launched by NASA Dec. 2, 1995 from Cape
Canaveral Air Station in Florida. Science operations for the SOHO spacecraft
are being conducted by a NASA-ESA team from the Experiment Operations Facility
at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt. Md. The spacecraft is
presently in a halo orbit around a point known as the "L1 Lagrangian point"
approximately 930,000 miles (1.5 million kilometers) from Earth, where
gravitational forces of the Earth and Sun balance one another.
A NEW LOOK AT THE SUN --- This image of 1.5-million degree Celsius gas in
the Sun's thin, outer atmosphere (corona) was taken March 13, 1996 by the
Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope onboard the Solar and
Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft. Every feature in the image traces
magnetic field structures. Because of the high quality instrument, we can see
more suttle and detail magnetic features than ever before. This image is the
first time we have been able to get such images except during five-minute rocket
flights. Because of SOHO's view of the Sun, science researchers have been able
to make movies that show the dynamic every changing nature of the "quiet Sun."
SOHO is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European
Space Agency. The spacecraft was launched by NASA Dec. 2, 1995 from Cape
Canaveral Air Station in Florida. Science operations for the SOHO spacecraft
are being conducted by a NASA-ESA team from the Experiment Operations Facility
at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt. Md. The spacecraft is
presently in a halo orbit around a point known as the "L1 Lagrangian point"
approximately 930,000 miles (1.5 million kilometers) from Earth, where
gravitational forces of the Earth and Sun balance one another.
3. THE UNQUIET SUN--- This sequence of images of the the Sun in ultraviolet
light was taken by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft on
Feb. 11, 1996 from its unique vantage point at the "L1" gravity neutral point 1
million miles sunward from the Earth. An "eruptive prominence" or blob of
60,000-degree gas, over 80,000 miles long, was ejected at a speed of at least
15,000 miles per hour. The gaseous blob is shown to the left in each image.
These eruptions occur when a significant amount of cool dense plasma or ionized
gas escapes from the normally closed, confining, low-level magnetic fields of
the Sun's atmosphere to streak out into the interplanetary medium, or
heliosphere. Eruptions of this sort can produce major disruptions in the near
Earth environment, affecting communications, navigation systems and even power
grids. SOHO, with its uninterrupted view of the Sun, can observe such events
continually, and allow us for the first time to get a better understanding of
how such violent events occur. SOHO is observing these events during the current minimum phase of the
sun's 11-year activity cycle. The images were obtained at wavelengths
absorbed by the Earth's atmosphere by the Extreme ultraviolet Imaging
Telescope.
SOHO is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European
Space Agency. The spacecraft was launched by NASA Dec. 2, 1995 from Cape
Canaveral Air Station in Florida. Science operations for the SOHO spacecraft
are being conducted by a NASA-ESA team from the Experiment Operations Facility
at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt. Md.