Solar Wind And Milky Way
Explanation:
The Sun is bright,
so bright that it overwhelms the light
from other stars even for most satellite-borne telescopes.
But LASCO, a coronograph onboard the
space-based SOHO Observatory, uses
occulting disks to block the intense solar light and examine
the tenuous, hot gases millions of miles above the Sun's surface.
In this
LASCO image from
December 24, 1996,
an occulting disk (center) and mechanical
support (extending from the lower left) are visible along with
the billowing Solar Wind.
Appearing in the background are
faint stars and obscuring dust clouds toward
the center of our Milky Way Galaxy!
The field of view covers about 16 degrees, corresponding to
28 million miles at the distance of the Sun - just under half the diameter
of Mercury's orbit.
A prominent dark interstellar dust cloud cuts through
the Milky Way starfield
running approximately south (lower right) to north.
Blemishes on the image are camera streaks caused by charged particles.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
