At this time within the historical past of astronomy, a brand new marketing campaign of photo voltaic examine begins.
The SDO’s first mild photographs, together with this one, showcase the extent of element and backbone it brings to photo voltaic examine. Credit score: NASA/AIA/Goddard Area Flight Heart
The primary mission in NASA’s Dwelling With a Star program, a slate of initiatives targeted round understanding photo voltaic variability, the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) launched Feb. 11, 2010. The spacecraft carries three devices: the Atmospheric Imaging Meeting, made up of 4 telescopes that {photograph} the Solar in 10 completely different wavelengths; the EUV Variability Experiment, which screens fluctuations within the Solar’s emissions; and the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager, which maps photo voltaic magnetic fields. Able to returning photographs with readability and element that had beforehand been extraordinary, the SDO makes use of its superior suite of instruments to higher perceive the Solar’s exercise and the way that exercise impacts Earth, in addition to enhance area climate prediction. The observatory remains to be enterprise that mission, returning roughly 1.5 terabytes of information per day to Earth.
