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Glossary

 

CME
Large amounts of plasma (consisting of mostly electrons and protons) ejected from the sun.
Gamma-Ray Bursts
Short bursts of gamma-rays (very high frequency electromagentic radiation) with very energetic explosions. These bursts can last from a few milliseconds to a few about an hour.
Geomagnetic Storms
A disturbance in the Earth's magnetosphere caused by changes in space weather such as solar erutptions.
Heliosphere
The region around the sun that is filled with the Sun's gases, solar winds, and magentic fields.
IMF
The magnetic field produced by the Sun that is carried through by solar winds.
Ionosphere
The uppermost part of the atmosphere. It also forms the inner surface of the magnetosphere and is reponsible for radio communication between distant places on Earth.
Lagrangian Point
Equilibrium points in space where the gravitational pull by a massive body is equal to that of another body.
Magnetosphere
Forms when a stream of charged particles, such as a solar wind, interacts with the magnetic field of a planet.
Photosphere
The surface of the sun that you see.
Solar Eruptions
These are sudden intense bursts of energy in the sun. They may develop in a few minutes and last for several hours.
Solar Wind
A constant stream pf charged particles, such as electrons and protons, that are continuously ejected from the upper atmosphere of the Sun.
Suprathermal Ions
Ions, charged particles, that have more energy than similar particles of the same type.

Can’t find the word here? Check out our full glossary

STEREO/IMPACT Mission

Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO)

White circle in the center, , enclosed by an eliptical orbit with earth at 6 o'clock position. Two STEREO spacecrafts labeled A and B are ahead and behind earth's orbit respectively The Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO) mission is the third in a coordinated sequence of science missions within the Solar Terrestrial Probes (STP) Program detailed in NASA's 1994 Strategic Plan. The STP Program focuses on understanding how the changing Sun affects the solar system and life on Earth.

Click here for an animation of STEREO's orbit
(.mpg 16MB)

The principal objective of the Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO) is to understand the origin and consequences of Coronal Mass Ejections (CME's). CME's are the most energetic eruptions on the Sun. They are responsible for essentially all of the largest geomagnetic storms. In order to understand and forecast CME's, especially those traveling toward and past Earth, we need 3-Dimensional images of them and of the ambient solar corona and heliosphere. Achieving this perspective will require moving away from our customary Earth-bound lookout point. To provide the images for a stereo reconstruction of solar eruptions, one spacecraft will lead Earth and one will be lagging in its orbit about the Sun.

Specific science objectives are to:

STEREO satellite. Cube in the center with two sheets of solar panels attached to its top, horizontally. A satellite dish and long boom is attached to lower left corner of spacecraft. Everything is labeled

The STEREO observatory carries a complement of four scientific instruments (two instruments and two instrument suites, with a total of 13 instruments per observatory) as follows:

In-situ Measurements of Particles and CME Transients (IMPACT)

A suite of seven instruments that will sample the 3-D distribution of solar wind plasma electrons, the characteristics of the solar energetic particle (SEP) ions and electrons, and the local vector magnetic field. IMPACT will be one of the STEREO mission's four measurement packages whose principal objective is to understand the origin and consequences of Coronal Mass Ejections (CME's). CME's are the most energetic eruptions on the Sun. They are responsible for essentially all of the largest solar geomagnetic storms. In order to understand and forecast CME's, we need 3-Dimensional images of them and of the ambient solar corona and heliosphere. Achieving this perspective will require moving away from our customary Earth-bound lookout point. To provide the images for a stereo reconstruction of solar eruptions, one spacecraft will lead Earth and one will be lagging in its orbit about the Sun. Launch is scheduled for July 22nd to August 6th.

Riding a pillar of flame into the night sky, the twin STEREO observatories rocketed into space from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 8:52 p.m. EDT on Oct. 25, 2006.
A Boeing Delta II boosted the two spacecraft into orbit, where they will spend two years studying the Sun-Earth system. The mission is the first to take measurements of the and solar wind in 3-dimension, providing a new view that will improve our understanding of space weather and its impact on Earth.

STEREO/IMPACT 2004 Flyers
print version (4.89 MB, .pdf)
web version (1.14 MB, .pdf)

STEREO Booklet (3.05 MB, .pdf)
NASA has produced the following booklet about the STEREO mission, including the IMPACT instrument suite.

Sounds of Space
Hear observations of the and Sun-Earth connection converted into sounds! Note: The level of this page is high. Tutorials and lessons will be added to it over time to make it more accessible to a wider audience.

STEREO Mission's Involvement in Eclipse 2001

Space Weather: Physics and Forecasts
An article by Dr. Janet Luhmann featured as a cover page article in Physics World (http://physicsweb.org/toc), July 2000. The article explains what space scientists are learning about the phenomena underlying magnetic storms.


STEREO Videos LINK THESE VIDEOS

STEREO education and public outreach effort (3.42 MB, .mov)

STEREO education and publuc outreach in Europe (2.99 MB, .mov)

Why is STEREO important to the general public? (5.04 MB, .mov)

What will IMPACT do? (1.62 MB, .mov)

IMPACT and PLASTIC (1.69 MB, .mov)

STEREO and RHESSI compliment each other (1.55 MB, .mov)

CMEs vs. solar flares (5.04 MB, .mov)

Solar energetic particle events (5.91 MB, .mov))

Getting a 3D perspective (2.47 MB, .mov)

STEREO makes the Sun accessable (3.13 MB, .mov)

Living with a dynamic star (3.02 MB, .mov)

Last updated 01/25/2010 © UC Regents