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SOLAR SCIENCE
STEREO Reaches New Milestone At Its Sixth Anniversary
by Karen C. Fox for Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Oct 29, 2012


Since its launch in 2006, the STEREO spacecraft have drifted further and further apart to gain different views of the sun. Credit: NASA/GSFC.

On the evening of Oct. 25, 2006, the twin Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) spacecraft launched into space, destined for fairly simple orbits: both circle the sun like Earth does, STEREO-A traveling in a slightly smaller and therefore faster orbit, STEREO-B traveling in a larger and slower orbit.

Those simple orbits, however, result in interesting geometry.

As one spacecraft gained an increasing lead over Earth, the other trailed further and further behind.

In February of 2011, each STEREO spacecraft was situated on opposite sides of the sun, and on Sept. 1, 2012, the two spacecraft and and the Solar Dynamics Observatory (at Earth) formed an equal-sided triangle, with each observatory providing overlapping views of the entire sun.

By providing such unique viewpoints, STEREO has offered scientists the ability to see all sides of the sun simultaneously for the first time in history, augmented with a view from Earth's perspective by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO).

In addition to giving researchers a view of active regions on the sun before they even come over the horizon, combining two views is crucial for three-dimensional observations of the giant filaments that dance off the sun's surface or the massive eruptions of solar material known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs).

See image of the sun from two different from two perspectives.

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Related Links
STEREO
Solar Science News at SpaceDaily






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NASA Study Using Cluster Reveals New Insights Into Solar Wind
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Oct 25, 2012
A new study based on data from European Space Agency's Cluster mission shows that it is easier for the solar wind to penetrate Earth's magnetic environment, the magnetosphere, than had previously been thought. Scientists from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. have, for the first time, directly observed the presence of certain waves in the solar wind-called Kelvin-Helmhol ... read more


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