The Sun in 3D
The twin spacecraft of NASA's Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) are sending back remarkable 3-D images of the Sun. The two spacecraft are tracking the powerful solar storms that can knock out vital communications and navigation satellites. A UK consortium developed one of the key instruments on board.
STEREO is studying the nature of Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) as they head towards Earth. CMEs are violent eruptions that occur as frequently as four times a week. They blow billions of tonnes of material into space at millions of kilometres per hour. Scientists hope that the STEREO spacecraft will provide evidence for why these explosions occur.
After more than a year in space, STEREO has obtained some of the best images yet of the Sun. These include pictures of Comet McNaught and a 'transit' of the Moon across the Sun.
Technology
Each STEREO spacecraft is nearly identical and contains four instruments.
SWAVES (STEREO/WAVES) is a radio burst tracker that can trace radio disturbances from the Sun to the Earth.
IMPACT (In-situ Measurements of Particles and CME Transients) is taking samples of solar particles.
PLASTIC (PLAsma and SUpraThermal Ion Composition) is measuring the properties of charged particles coming from the Sun.
A UK consortium, led by the STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, developed STEREO's Heliospheric Imager (HI). This is part of the SECCHI (Sun-Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation) instrument and is detecting Coronal Mass Ejections as they cross interplanetary space.
UK involvement
The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) has part financed the building of the Heliospheric Imager to the tune of £1.88 million.
The STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) is responsible for the scientific exploitation of the Heliospheric Imagers as well as providing the detectors used in all STEREO's camera systems.
Both Heliospheric Imagers were built at the University of Birmingham.
Find out more by visiting the STEREO website.
