NASA’s Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO-A) spacecraft completed its first Earth flyby, almost two decades after its launch. Launched in 2006, the STEREO mission featured two spacecraft, STEREO-A and STEREO-B, positioned in the Sun’s orbit to provide stereoscopic views of the Sun. The achievement of a 180-degree separation between STEREO-A and -B in 2011 allowed a complete spherical image of the Sun. STEREO-A’s importance lies in its collaboration with other solar observatories, including SOHO and SDO, optimizing its stereo vision to study varying solar features during its changing distance from Earth, aiding in understanding coronal mass ejections’ magnetic field evolution.
Prelims pointer
- STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) spacecraft: A pair of spacecraft launched by NASA in 2006 to provide stereoscopic views of the Sun, enabling a deeper understanding of solar phenomena.
- Coronal Mass Ejection (CME): A massive burst of solar wind and magnetic fields that are released from the Sun’s corona, often resulting in geomagnetic storms and disturbances on Earth.
- Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO): A joint NASA and European Space Agency (ESA) mission designed to study the Sun’s behavior, inner structure, and outer corona, contributing to our understanding of space weather.
- Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO): A NASA spacecraft dedicated to studying the Sun’s dynamics, including its magnetic fields, solar flares, and prominences, providing crucial data for solar physics research.
- Stereoscopic Vision: A technique that mimics human depth perception by using two slightly offset perspectives, as in the case of the STEREO spacecraft, to create a three-dimensional view of an object or scene.