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National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Goddard Space Flight Center

Sun-Earth Day 2009: Our Sun Yours to Discover.

Sun-Earth Day 2009: Our Sun Yours to Discover

IMAGE GALLERY

This graphic suggests how we can take a closer look at the image sizes that can be obtained by three major solar missions, from SOHO to STEREO, and then to SDO (Solar Dynamics Observatory). We can begin to understand the substantial increase in detail that each of the future mission brings to solar physicists. Back in 1995, SOHO launched with a digital imaging capability of 1024 x 1024 pixels, considered outstanding at the time. STEREO, which launched in 2006, had twice the imaging area of SOHO at 2048 x 2048 pixels, a major advance in resolution that allows scientists to see much greater detail in the Sun's features and their structures. And now we can look forward to even greater advance with SDO (to launch in late 2008 or early 2009). Its resolution weighs in at 4096 x 4096, a super HD image that is four times the resolution of SOHO. Many people are very excited at the potential for learning about the Sun through the level of detail that these new images will reveal for the first time.
How big is big? (February 22, 2008) SOHO Pick of the Week

This graphic suggests how we can take a closer look at the image sizes that can be obtained by three major solar missions, from SOHO to STEREO, and then to SDO (Solar Dynamics Observatory). We can begin to understand the substantial increase in detail that each of the future mission brings to solar physicists. Back in 1995, SOHO launched with a digital imaging capability of 1024 x 1024 pixels, considered outstanding at the time. STEREO, which launched in 2006, had twice the imaging area of SOHO at 2048 x 2048 pixels, a major advance in resolution that allows scientists to see much greater detail in the Sun's features and their structures. And now we can look forward to even greater advance with SDO (to launch in late 2008 or early 2009). Its resolution weighs in at 4096 x 4096, a "super HD" image that is four times the resolution of SOHO. Many people are very excited at the potential for learning about the Sun through the level of detail that these new images will reveal for the first time. This image was taken from the SOHO website

NASA Fact

During a severe solar storm, Earth loses about 100 tons of its atmosphere into space.