Hi, welcome to Draconiser blog, this is the very first post!
ARTIST’S IMPRESSION OF SOLAR ORBITER
CREDIT: ESA – C. Carreau
So yesterday, (during the 2020 Oscars) the Solar Orbiter (called SolO), was launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida, it is a satellite that will be travelling to the sun with the objective of taking photos (using a Spectrometer/Telescope for Imaging X-rays (STIX) ) of the sun’s poles for the first time, as well as taking other measurements. Although it will be taking the pictures from a safe distance, which is near Mercury’s orbit, otherwise it would toast! It was developed by the European Space Agency (ESA).
Launch of the ESA/NASA Solar Orbiter mission to study the Sun from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Feb. 9, 2020.
Credits: Jared Frankle, NASA Solar Orbiter Social Participant
This probe has 10 remote sensing instruments, that will study:
- The dynamic changes of the sun’s poles, because they flip every 11 years.
- The solar surface and it’s outer atmosphere
- Solar wind (which can carry intense radiation and energetic particles back to Earth)
- Magnetic field
- Among other things
This satellite has a titanium (20 thin layers of it) shield (Imagine a SUNBLOCK), because it needs to be protected from all the extreme heat and particles that the sun is emitting every day.
It will begin taking measurements in May 2020 and will be fully operational by November 2021.
I think it is extremely important that we are studying the Sun, because we are in relative danger, at least our satellites and electronic equipment, because of a potential powerful solar storm. Imagine that suddenly our satellites or a power grid failed? this would affect our daily life, hospitals, our economy, among other things.
We should always pursue knowledge not only for the sake of obtaining it, but to apply it for the benefit of humanity.
I will be following the SolO trajectory and news, and I will post them here. See you on the next post!
Enrique GR
SOURCES:
http://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Solar_Orbiter
https://sci.esa.int/web/solar-orbiter/-/54613-artist-impression-of-solar-orbiter