![]() Its magnetic field directly impacts us here on Earth, affecting our satellites, our communication, even our power grid. It is the provider of light, heat, energy, and the anchor that holds all the planets, comets, asteroids, icy Kuiper belt objects, and more under its sway. The Sun is more than the center of our solar system. They supplement each other, adding to their capabilities, doing more than any single mission can do. I’m very glad the mission got extended by 1,900 percent! It’s easy to think that missions like SDO (the Solar Dynamics Observatory, which this year celebrated five years in space) replace earlier ones like SOHO, but that’s not the case. I used to work at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, literally down the hall from the offices where astronomers studied the Sun, so I have quite a few friends working on this magnificent and venerable observatory. ![]() Also be sure to check out the Best of SOHO! ![]() SOHO, together with SDO and STEREO, tracks an eruptive prominence.SOHO observations were used to study sunspots forming while they were still 60,000 km below the Sun’s surface (that still blows me away).SOHO tracks a comet on a death dive into the Sun.SOHO measurements of Mercury crossing the Sun were used to get the most accurate diameter for our star ever determined.In 2003, SOHO saw the most powerful flare in the modern era.SOHO watched as Comet ISON disintegrated.I’ve written about SOHO dozens of times, including some of the topics covered in the video: I can’t say enough about how great this mission is, and what it’s showed us about the Sun. To celebrate, NASA put out this lovely video highlighting just a few of the achievements of this mighty observatory: It’s watched the Sun through nearly two full solar magnetic cycles, mapping sunspots, magnetic activity, flares, prominences, and more. This week, 20 years later, SOHO is still chugging along, celebrating its platinum anniversary.Īfter more than 7,300 days in space (!!), it’s racked up an amazing amount of science. Soon thereafter it began its mission: to observe the Sun with its multitude of detectors, helping us understand our nearest star. Four months later SOHO (the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) fell into its new home, a “halo” orbit 1.5 million kilometers away from Earth in the direction of the Sun. 2, 1995, the joint ESA/NASA mission SOHO roared into space on an Atlas/Centaur rocket.
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