SOHO – Solar and Heliospheric Observatory

SOHO Beauty Pass || SOHO_00050_print.jpg (1024x576) [102.8 KB] || SOHO_00050_searchweb.png (320x180) [63.8 KB] || SOHO_00050_thm.png (80x40) [4.7 KB] || SOHO_prores.mov (1920x1080) [676.8 MB] || SOHO_h264.mov (1920x1080) [462.6 MB] || 1920x1080_16x9_60p (1920x1080) [64.0 KB] || SOHO_1080p60.mp4 (1920x1080) [15.9 MB] || SOHO_prores.webm (1920x1080) [2.2 MB] ||

Using Solar Orbiter, Parker Solar Probe, and other sun-observing missions, in coordinated observations, we can learn far more about the solar atmosphere which surrounds and impacts Earth and other missions in space, crewed and uncrewed. ||

December 2, 1995 marks the 25th anniversary of the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, or SOHO — a joint mission of the European Space Agency and NASA. Since its launch on that date, the mission has kept watch on the Sun. ||

An illustration of a sunspot inspired by imagery from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). || sunspot.gif (1280x720) [1.5 MB] || sunspot_searchweb.png (320x180) [95.7 KB] ||

This animation follows the October 14, 2014 CME as it moves through the solar system and identifies a few of the NASA and ESA missions that observed it.Music: “Comely" from FelicityWritten and produced by Lars LeonhardWatch this video on the NASA.gov Video YouTube channel.Complete transcript available. || CME_Solar_System_Still.jpg (3840x2160) [555.5 KB] || CME_Solar_System_Still_searchweb.png (320x180) [38.4 KB] || CME_Solar_System_Still_thm.png (80x40) [4.0 KB] || 12687_CME_Solar_System_1080p.mov (1920x1080) [90.8 MB] || 12687_CME_Solar_System_FINAL_appletv.m4v (1280x720) [71.7 MB] || 12687_CME_Solar_System_1080p.webm (1920x1080) [10.4 MB] || 12687_CME_Solar_System_FINAL_appletv_subtitles.m4v (1280x720) [71.7 MB] || FACEBOOK_720_12687_CME_Solar_System_FINAL_facebook_720.mp4 (1280x720) [158.9 MB] || 12687_CME_Solar_System_SRT_Captions.en_US.srt [1.2 KB] || 12687_CME_Solar_System_SRT_Captions.en_US.vtt [1.2 KB] || 12687_CME_Solar_System_-4K.mov (3840x2160) [287.7 MB] || 12687_CME_Solar_System_Apple_Devices_4K.m4v (3840x2160) [340.2 MB] || YOUTUBE_4K_12687_CME_Solar_System_FINAL_youtube_4k.mp4 (3840x2160) [627.2 MB] || 12687_CME_Solar_System_ProRes_3840x2160_2997.mov (3840x2160) [2.5 GB] ||

A collection of space radiation highlights featuring:NASA's Van Allen ProbesNASA's CubeSats ||

The sun-observing SOHO spacecraft celebrates two decades of space-based science. || cf-1024.jpg (1024x576) [113.9 KB] || cf-1024_print.jpg (1024x576) [119.4 KB] || cf-1024_searchweb.png (320x180) [70.6 KB] || cf-1024_web.png (320x180) [70.6 KB] || cf-1024_thm.png (80x40) [16.1 KB] ||

Dr. Joe Gurman of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center provides commentary on selected shots from SOHO's 20 years in space.Watch this video on YouTube || SOHO20thumb.jpg (1280x720) [108.1 KB] || SOHO20thumb_searchweb.png (320x180) [119.7 KB] || SOHO20thumb_thm.png (80x40) [19.1 KB] || APPLE_TV_12952_SOHO_20th_anniversary_ws_appletv.m4v (1280x720) [199.6 MB] || YOUTUBE_HQ_12952_SOHO_20th_anniversary_ws_youtube_hq.mov (1920x1080) [2.5 GB] || 12952_SOHO_20th_anniversary_ws-H264_Best_1920x1080_59.94.mov (1920x1080) [4.0 GB] || YOUTUBE_HQ_12952_SOHO_20th_anniversary_ws_youtube_hq.webm (1920x1080) [45.1 MB] || SOHO20.en_US.srt [7.6 KB] || 12952_SOHO_20th_anniversary_ws.key [200.0 MB] || 12952_SOHO_20th_anniversary_ws.pptx [199.8 MB] || 12952_SOHO_20th_anniversary_ws_lowres.mp4 (480x272) [52.9 MB] || NASA_PODCAST_12952_SOHO_20th_anniversary_ws_ipod_sm.mp4 (320x240) [67.5 MB] ||

On May 1, 2013, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) watched as an active region just around the East limb (left edge) of the sun erupted with a huge cloud of solar material—a heated, charged gas called plasma. This eruption, called a coronal mass ejection, or CME, sent the plasma streaming out through the solar system. Viewing the sun in the extreme ultraviolet wavelength of 304 angstroms, SDO provided a beautiful view of the initial arc as it left the solar surface. Such eruptions soon leave SDO's field of view, but other satellites in NASA's Heliophysics fleet can pick them up, tracking such space weather to determine if they are headed toward Earth or spacecraft near other planets. With advance warning, many space assets can be put into safe mode and protect themselves from the effects of such particle radiation.In addition to the images captured by SDO, the May 1, 2013 CME was also observed by the ESA/NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). SOHO houses two overlapping coronagraphs—telescopes where the bright sun is blocked by a disk so it doesn't overpower the fainter solar atmosphere—and they both saw the CME continue outward. The LASCO C2 coronagraph shows the region out to about 2.5 million miles. The LASCO C3 coronagraph expands even farther out to around 13.5 million miles. Both of these instruments show the CME as it expands and becomes fainter on its trip away from the sun.NASA's Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) Ahead satellite saw the eruption from a very different angle. It, along with its twin STEREO Behind, is orbiting at a similar distance as Earth. STEREO-A orbits slightly faster than Earth and STEREO-B orbits slightly slower. Currently, STEREO-A is more than two-thirds of the way to being directly behind the sun, and has a view of the far side of the sun. From this perspective, the CME came off the right side of the sun. STEREO has an extreme ultraviolet camera similar to SDO's, but it also has coronagraphs like SOHO. As a result, using its two inner coronagraphs, it was able to track the CME from the solar surface out to 6.3 million miles.Working together, such missions provide excellent coverage of a wide variety of solar events, a wealth of scientific data—and lots of beautiful imagery.Watch this video on YouTube. ||

On April 3, 2009, countries from around the world participated in the '100 Hours of Astronomy' webcast to celebrate the International Year of Astronomy. This movie was used to introduce the SOHO/TRACE segment. Alex Young and Dawn Meyers, NASA scientists, describe how both SOHO and TRACE view the sun in their own unique way. ||

Footage of cleanroom work, scientists on SOHO, XTE and the STOCC || YOUTUBE_720_GSFC_40_anniversary_b-roll_youtube_720.00361_print.jpg (1024x576) [96.5 KB] || YOUTUBE_720_GSFC_40_anniversary_b-roll_youtube_720.00361_searchweb.png (320x180) [82.5 KB] || YOUTUBE_720_GSFC_40_anniversary_b-roll_youtube_720.00361_thm.png (80x40) [5.8 KB] || GSFC_40_anniversary_b-roll.mov (1280x720) [7.6 GB] || YOUTUBE_720_GSFC_40_anniversary_b-roll_youtube_720.mp4 (1280x720) [1.0 GB] || GSFC_40_anniversary_b-roll.webm [0 bytes] ||

This is a sequence of solar synoptic maps covering Solar Cycle 23.The SOHO spacecraft began collecting this data in May of 1996, near the beginning (minimum) of the sunspot cycle. The sequence is projected in cylindrical-equidistant (CED) coordinates suitable for reprojection on spheres for animation or visualization purposes. These images are not suitable for scientific analysis.The original data were collected in FITS format from the SOHO/MDI archive, one image for each Carrington Rotation, which are 27.2753 days long.Solar minimum for Cycle 23 was in May 1996 (Carrington Rotation #1909), solar maximum around March 2000 (Carrington Rotation #1960), with a return to minimum about October 2008 (Carrington Rotation #2075). There are two gaps in the sequence, totalling four rotations, at Carrington rotations #1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, and 1998. These images are missing from the sequence due to SOHO being offline. Gaps in the data coverage for individual maps (occasional day outages or poor coverage near the poles of the Sun) were filled using data accumulated from previous maps.IMPORTANT NOTE: These images are for visualization purposes only. They are not suitable for scientific analysis. ||

New studies show that the Sun's active regions — areas of intense eruptions — are formed from many small magnetic structures (white loops) that rise from deep within the interior, then pierce the surface to form sunspots (dark areas). These structures appear as giant arches when electrified gas (plasma) passes through their magnetic fields. ||

Animation of an active region on far side rotating to near side, where a coronal mass ejection occurs. || Sunspots are associated with active regions which can launch coronal mass ejections. || MDI_print.jpg (1024x698) [37.6 KB] || MDI_pre.00002_print.jpg (1024x698) [31.4 KB] || MDI_thm.png (80x40) [3.4 KB] || MDI_pre.jpg (320x238) [4.3 KB] || MDI_pre_searchweb.jpg (320x180) [29.9 KB] || MDI.webmhd.webm (960x540) [909.3 KB] || MDI.mpeg (352x240) [5.9 MB] ||

Zoom-in to the sunspot group and watch it rotate || a002287.00005_print.png (720x480) [413.4 KB] || spinspot2_pre.jpg (320x240) [5.6 KB] || a002287.webmhd.webm (960x540) [4.9 MB] || a002287.dv (720x480) [60.1 MB] || spinspot2.mpg (320x240) [2.4 MB] || Full sun view with SOHO-MDI data || spinningspot0001.jpg (2560x1920) [351.5 KB] || spinningspot0001_web.jpg (320x240) [7.3 KB] || spinningspot0001.tif (2560x1920) [2.1 MB] ||

Using the SOHO Michelson Doppler Interferometer (MDI), scientists can use a process called Time-Distance helioseismology to determine temperatures and fluid flows under the surface of the Sun. ||

Using the SOHO Michelson Doppler Interferometer (MDI), scientists can use a process called Time-Distance helioseismology to determine temperatures and fluid flows under the surface of the Sun. ||

SOHO/MDI performs a 'sonogram' of the sun, revealing the subsurface temperature profile around a sunspot. Red isosurfaces denote regions where the sound speed (and temperature) are higher than average while blue isosurfaces directly under the spot illustrate where the sound speed (and temperature) are lower than average. ||

As millions of people across the United States experienced a total eclipse as the umbra, or Moon’s shadow passed over them, only six people witnessed the umbra from space. Viewing the eclipse from orbit were NASA’s Randy Bresnik, Jack Fischer and Peggy Whitson, ESA (European Space Agency’s) Paolo Nespoli, and Roscosmos’ Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Sergey Ryazanskiy. The space station crossed the path of the eclipse three times as it orbited above the continental United States at an altitude of 250 miles. Credit: NASA || iss052e056122.jpg (4928x3280) [844.0 KB] ||

This image is a composite photograph that shows the progression of the total solar eclipse over Madras, Oregon.http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=90796 || eclipsecomposite_pho_lrg.jpg (2231x1487) [541.4 KB] || eclipsecomposite_pho_lrg_searchweb.png (320x180) [47.2 KB] || eclipsecomposite_pho_lrg_thm.png (80x40) [3.3 KB] || 2017-eclipse-images-7.hwshow [293 bytes] ||

On Aug. 21, 2017, a solar eclipse passed over North America. People throughout the continent experienced a partial solar eclipse, and a total solar eclipse passed over a narrow swath of land stretching from Oregon to South Carolina, called the path of totality. NASA and its partner’s satellites had a unique vantage point to watch the eclipse. Several Sun-watching satellites were in a position to see the Moon cross in front of the Sun, while many Earth-observing satellites – and NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which typically images the Moon’s landscape – captured images of the Moon’s shadow on Earth’s surface. See more and download content at https://go.nasa.gov/2x7b8kf ||

Eclipses set the stage for historic science. NASA is taking advantage of the Aug. 21, 2017 eclipse by funding 11 ground-based scientific studies. As our scientists prepare their experiments for next week, we're looking back to an historic 1860 total solar eclipse, which many think gave humanity our first glimpse of solar storms — called coronal mass ejections — 100 years before scientists first understood what they were.Scientists observed these eruptions in the 1970s during the beginning of the modern satellite era, when satellites in space were able to capture thousands of images of solar activity that had never been seen before. But in hindsight, scientists realized their satellite images might not be the first record of these solar storms. Hand-drawn records of an 1860 total solar eclipse bore surprising resemblance to these groundbreaking satellite images.Eclipse archive imagery from: http://mlso.hao.ucar.edu/hao-eclipse-archive.php ||

A composite of red continuum with SOHO/EIT near totality. The red image was taken in Ceduna, South Australia. The images are co-registered so one can install smooth dissolves between them. || Solar eclipse in red continuum || eclipse0002.jpg (1280x960) [46.6 KB] || eclipse0002_web.jpg (320x240) [3.9 KB] || eclipse0002.tif (1280x960) [208.4 KB] ||

This is a 1024x1024 pixel version of solar storms providing a more complete view of the SOHO/LASCO/C3 field-of-view.Here is a view of the solar disk in 195 Å ultraviolet light (colored green in this movie) and the Sun's extended atmosphere, or corona, (blue and white in this movie). The corona is visible to the SOHO/LASCO coronagraph instruments, which block the bright disk of the Sun so the significantly fainter corona can be seen. In this movie, the inner coronagraph (designated C2) is combined with the outer coronagraph (C3). This movie covers a two week period in October and November 2003 which exhibited some of the largest solar activity events since the advent of space-based solar observing.As the movie plays, we can observe a number of features of the active Sun. Long streamers radiate outward from the Sun and wave gently due to their interaction with the solar wind. The bright white regions are visible due to their high density of free electrons which scatter the light from the photosphere towards the observer. Protons and other ionized atoms are there as well, but are not as visible since they do not interact with photons as strongly as electrons. Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) are occasionally observed launching from the Sun. Some of these launch particle events which can saturate the cameras with snow-like artifacts.Also visible in the coronagraphs are stars and planets. Stars are seen to drift slowly to the right, carried by the relative motion of the Sun and the Earth. The planet Mercury is visible as the bright point moving left of the Sun. The horizontal 'extension' in the image is called 'blooming' and is due to a charge leakage along the readout wires in the CCD imager in the camera. ||

This visualization compares the full-disk solar view of SOHO/EIT (green, on the left) with the small field of view of the TRACE ultraviolet telescope (gold, on the right). The yellow border of the TRACE imagery is projected on the appropriate location on the green EIT imagery. Notice that TRACE can track features as they move across the solar disk. The instrument pointing is adjusted on a regular basis, which can produce a considerable amount of jittering in the image. This is a variation on the treatment of the same data as Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO): Data Collection Comparison.Note that this movie does not play synchronous with the other animations that are part of the SDO Prelaunch package. ||

Here is a view of the full solar disk during a two-week period in October and November of 2003 which exhibited some of the largest solar activity events since the advent of space-based solar observing. The Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT) collects solar images in an extremely short wavelength of ultraviolet light, not visible from the surface of the Earth. The narrow wavelength band at 195 angstroms corresponds (19.5 nanometers) corresponds to a spectral line of multiply-ionized iron atoms. This movie is part of a series of movies with matching cadence designed to play synchronously with each other. The other movies in this series are Halloween 2003 Solar Storms: SOHO/EIT Ultraviolet, 304 A Halloween 2003 Solar Storms: SOHO/MDI Continuum Halloween 2003 Solar Storms: SOHO/MDI Magnetograms Halloween 2003 Solar Storms: SOHO/EIT and SOHO/LASCO For more information, visit the SOHO project page. ||

Here is a view of the full solar disk during a two-week period in October and November of 2003 which exhibited some of the largest solar activity events since the advent of space-based solar observing. The Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT) collects solar images in an extremely short wavelength of ultraviolet light, not visible from the surface of the Earth. The narrow wavelength band at 304 Ångstroms corresponds (30.4 nanometers) corresponds to a spectral line of multiply-ionized iron atoms. This movie is part of a series of movies with matching cadence designed to play synchronously with each other. The other movies in this series are Halloween 2003 Solar Storms: SOHO/EIT Ultraviolet, 195 ÅHalloween 2003 Solar Storms: SOHO/MDI Continuum Halloween 2003 Solar Storms: SOHO/MDI Magnetograms Halloween 2003 Solar Storms: SOHO/EIT and SOHO/LASCO For more information, visit the SOHO project page. ||

Here is a view of the full solar disk during a two-week period in October and November of 2003 which exhibited some of the largest solar activity events since the advent of space-based solar observing. The Michelson Doppler Interferometer (MDI) records images at several very narrow wavelength bands in the visible light. These images are often used as proxies for white-light solar images. This movie is part of a series of movies with matching cadence designed to play synchronously with each other. The other movies in this series are Halloween 2003 Solar Storms: SOHO/EIT Ultraviolet, 195 angstroms Halloween 2003 Solar Storms: SOHO/EIT Ultraviolet, 304 angstroms Halloween 2003 Solar Storms: SOHO/MDI Magnetograms Halloween 2003 Solar Storms: SOHO/EIT and SOHO/LASCO For more information, visit the SOHO project page. ||

Here is a view of the full solar disk during a two-week period in October and November of 2003 which exhibited some of the largest solar activity events since the advent of space-based solar observing.The Michelson Doppler Interferometer (MDI) takes images of the Sun at five very narrow wavelength bands and four different polarizations in visible light. For this sequence, the images are processed in a form that reveals the magnetic field strength on the solar photosphere. Other combinations of the images act as white-light images and dopplergrams (which measure the velocity of the solar 'surface').This movie is part of a series of movies with matching cadence designed to play synchronously with each other. The other movies in this series are Halloween 2003 Solar Storms: SOHO/EIT Ultraviolet, 195 angstroms Halloween 2003 Solar Storms: SOHO/EIT Ultraviolet, 304 angstroms Halloween 2003 Solar Storms: SOHO/MDI Continuum Halloween 2003 Solar Storms: SOHO/EIT and SOHO/LASCO For more information, visit the SOHO project page.. ||

Here is a view of the solar disk in 195 Å ultraviolet light (colored green in this movie) and the Sun's extended atmosphere, or corona, (blue and white in this movie). The corona is visible to the SOHO/LASCO coronagraph instruments, which block the bright disk of the Sun so the significantly fainter corona can be seen. In this movie, the inner coronagraph (designated C2) is combined with the outer coronagraph (C3). This movie covers a two week period in October and November 2003 which exhibited some of the largest solar activity events since the advent of space-based solar observing.As the movie plays, we can observe a number of features of the active Sun. Long streamers radiate outward from the Sun and wave gently due to their interaction with the solar wind. The bright white regions are visible due to their high density of free electrons which scatter the light from the photosphere towards the observer. Protons and other ionized atoms are there as well, but are not as visible since they do not interact with photons as strongly as electrons. Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) are occasionally observed launching from the Sun. Some of these launch particle events which can saturate the cameras with snow-like artifacts.Also visible in the coronagraphs are stars and planets. Stars are seen to drift slowly to the right, carried by the relative motion of the Sun and the Earth. The planet Mercury is visible as the bright point moving left of the Sun. The horizontal 'extension' in the image is called 'blooming' and is due to a charge leakage along the readout wires in the CCD imager in the camera.This movie is part of a series of movies with matching cadence designed to play synchronously with each other. The other movies in this series are Halloween 2003 Solar Storms: SOHO/EIT Ultraviolet, 195 angstromHalloween 2003 Solar Storms: SOHO/EIT Ultraviolet, 304 angstromHalloween 2003 Solar Storms: SOHO/MDI Continuum Halloween 2003 Solar Storms: SOHO/MDI Magnetograms For more information, visit the SOHO project page.. ||

This view from SOHO/EIT in the 195 angstrom band, shows the multitude of solar flares released in the Fall of 2003 as a group of active regions rotated back into view. This movie is synchronized to play with animation IDs 2960 and 2961. For more information on how X-ray solar flares are classified (B, C, M, X), visit SpaceWeather.com. ||

This view from SOHO/EIT in the 304 angstrom band, shows a group of active regions rotating back into view. This movie is synchronized to play with animation IDs 2959 and 2961. One obvious difference is that solar flares are not as visible at this wavelength than at the 195 angstrom band. The 304 angstrom filter was not used as frequently as the 195 angstrom filter, so this movie has more jumps in its time coverage. For more information on how X-ray solar flares are classified (B, C, M, X), visit SpaceWeather.com. ||

This movie is a combination of SOHO/EIT at 195 angstroms as well as the LASCO/C2 and C3 cameras. At this scale we can see the flashes from solar flares in SOHO/EIT (green) and the subsequent coronal mass ejections in SOHO/LASCO/C2 (red) and SOHO/LASCO/C3 (blue). This movie is synchronized to play with animation IDs 2960 and 2959. For more information on how X-ray solar flares are classified (B, C, M, X), visit SpaceWeather.com. ||