The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)
Mission Objectives

To solve two important solar mysteries:

  • What heats the sun's outermost layer to millions of degrees Kelvin ( much hotter than the underlying solar surface)?
  • What causes the Sun's outer layer to blow off into space (the Earth is in its pathway)? This outflow is called the solar wind.
How Will It Do This?
  • Remotely sense the Sun's invisible outer atmosphere
  • Measure the solar wind as it blows by
Mission Description
  • joint venture of NASA and ESA (European Space Agency)
  • launched on December 2,1995
  • uninterrupted view of the Sun for two years from the L1 point (where the gravity of the Sun and the Earth just cancel)

Image Credit: Courtesy of SOHO consortium. SOHO is a project of international cooperation between ESA and NASA.
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