Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)
SOLAR AND HELIOSPHERIC OBSERVATORY (SOHO)
E/PO Contact: Steele Hill (email)
SOHO Homepage: http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov
SOHO, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, is a Sun-study spacecraft that observes the Sun 24 hours a day from space. SOHO, a cooperative effort between the European Space Agency and NASA, is managed by Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland.
SOHO Showcase
- SOHO Pick of the Week
- an online feature showing the best image/movie of the week with an extended caption.
- Dynamic Sun CD
- Multimedia, educational presentations on the Sun at three grade levels (5th version), English and Spanish, with teacher guides and additional resources. $5+$6 shipping and handling (in the US ) from NASA CORE
- Best of SOHO
- Multimedia, educational presentations on the Sun at three grade levels (5th version), English and Spanish, with teacher guides and additional resources. $5+$6 shipping and handling (in the US ) from NASA CORE
SOHO Education and Public Outreach (E/PO) Links:
- Solar Movies and Images
- Live images of the Sun updated frequently
- The SOHO Paper Model
- Sun Fun Activities
- You can track sunspots (Gr. 7-12), match images of solar magnetism for Gr. 5-8, or determine the speed of a solar storm
- Educational Resources
- Overviews of people involved in solar outreach, Ask Dr. SOHO, educational links, an introduction to the Sun, and more
- Best images and movies from SOHO
- Sun as Art exhibit
- 22 solar images treated as art
- SOHO slide set
SOHO has developed a number of outreach materials, including posters, CDs, motion cards, stickers, and the like. Many of these are available at NASA Educational Resource Centers.
ABOUT SOHO
SOHO, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, is a Sun-study spacecraft that observes the Sun 24 hours a day from space. It celebrated the 10th anniversary of its launch on December 2, 1995. Data and images from its 12 instruments have given us significant information about the internal structure of the Sun, its extensive outer atmosphere, and solar storms. Weighing two tons and measuring about 25 feet (8 meters) across, it orbits a point one million miles (1.5 million km) sunward of the Earth. On this inner path, it travels around the Sun just about the same as the Earth does. SOHO, a cooperative effort between the European Space Agency and NASA, is managed by Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. It is the most advanced solar observing spacecraft ever built. There is simply no other spacecraft like it.
What are some advantages of having an observatory in space? There is no distortion from the atmosphere, cloud cover is not an issue, and the Sun is always visible. From space, SOHO also measures the speed and power of solar storms and notes which ones might be aimed near Earth. Not all of the Sun's energy penetrates the Earth's atmosphere, so scientists rely on telescopes both on the ground and in space to investigate CMEs.
SOHO has created a nearly continuous and richly detailed record of solar activity that is allowing scientists around the world to develop a greater understanding of our star, in fact, of all stars. SOHO is our watchdog on the Sun and its storms and gives us a few days’ notice of Earth-directed disturbances. SOHO has provided the first 3D images of solar weather beneath the surface of the sun, and, with the assistance of amateur astronomers around the world, has discovered over 1,100 comets. Scientists worldwide are using SOHO data to learn how to predict solar storms that could endanger the future explorers of our solar system.
