Science and Space

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Spacecrafts studying our Sun

There are 2 space missions currently observing Sun. They are Ulysses and SOHO. A joint NASA/ESA spacecraft, Ulysses, was launched in 1990 to take it to a unique solar orbit out of the ecliptic (the plane of rotation of the Earth around the Sun) so that it could observe the polar regions of the Sun. Its main mission is to study the huge bubble of solar wind blowing off the Sun - the heliosphere - from the equator to the poles. SOHO has been incredibly successful. As well as using helioseismology to probe the interior, it has been observing the corona and the solar wind with a range instruments in which UK teams have been heavily involved. Launched in 1995, it has been able to follow the rise of solar activity to its maximum in 2000-2001, monitoring and imaging solar flares as they happen and the huge clouds of material that are ejected into space.

posted by: kyawoo at 21:14 | link | comments |
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