Final Glimpse: Comet Disintegrates Shortly After Eclipse Observation
A surprise appearance of a new comet made the April 8th total solar eclipse all the more memorable. Any dedicated ‘umbraphile’ will tell you: no…
SOHO News
The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) is a collaborative project between the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA designed to study the Sun. Launched in December 1995, SOHO operates from a vantage point approximately 1.5 million kilometers from Earth, in an orbit around the first Lagrangian point (L1), which allows for continuous observation of the Sun. The mission’s primary goals include investigating the solar atmosphere, monitoring solar activity, and examining the solar wind and its impact on space weather. SOHO is equipped with an array of instruments that provide valuable data on the Sun’s interior, its outer atmosphere, and the larger heliosphere. The observatory has significantly advanced our understanding of phenomena like solar flares and coronal mass ejections, contributing to our ability to forecast space weather events that can affect satellite operations and communications on Earth.
Rare Glimpse of “Doomed” SOHO Comet During Solar Eclipse
Comet SOHO-5008 was discovered by a citizen scientist and captured during a solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, before it disintegrated near the Sun, showcasing…
SOHO Shatters Records: Solar Observatory Discovers Its 5,000th Comet
SOHO, intended for solar observation, has become a prolific comet finder, with the 5,000th comet discovery marking a significant milestone and showcasing the contribution of…
SOHO Chases Asteroid’s Tail – Unmasks “Rock Comet” Phaethon’s Sodium Glow
The SOHO observatory has challenged previous theories about Phaethon, a ‘rock comet’ linked to the Geminid meteor shower, by suggesting that its brightness and tail…
Massive Solar Eruption Captured by Solar Orbiter Spacecraft
The ESA/NASA Solar Orbiter spacecraft has captured the largest solar prominence eruption ever observed in a single image together with the full solar disc. Solar…
A Guide to Solar Flares: What Does It Take To Be X-Class?
Solar flares are giant explosions on the sun that send energy, light, and high speed particles into space. These flares are often associated with solar…
Unusual “Rosetta Stone” Solar Eruption Could Help Explain Mysterious Powerful Explosions on the Sun
In a dramatic, multi-staged eruption, the Sun has revealed new clues that could help scientists solve the long-standing mystery of what causes the Sun’s powerful…
Mars-Directed Coronal Mass Ejection Erupts From the Sun
NASA’s STEREO-A and ESA/NASA’s SOHO spacecraft detected a coronal mass ejection, or CME, leaving the Sun on April 17 at 12:36 p.m. EDT. This CME…
A Small, Bright Surprise: Two Views of a Sungrazing Comet
When scientists downlinked data from Parker Solar Probe’s sixth orbit, there was a small, bright surprise waiting for them: the spacecraft’s first observation of a…
ESA/NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory Celebrates a Quarter-Century in Space
The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory launched on December 2, 1995. A joint mission between the European Space Agency and NASA, SOHO’s original operating phase was…
U.S. Naval Research Laboratory’s Large Angle Spectrometric Coronagraph Discovers 4000th Comet
The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory’s Large Angle Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO) instrument identified the 4000th comet discovered by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), a joint…
Citizen Scientist Spots Never-Before-Seen Comet – The 4,000th Comet Discovery Using Solar and Heliospheric Observatory
On June 15, 2020, a citizen scientist spotted a never-before-seen comet in data from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, or SOHO — the 4,000th comet…
ESA/NASA SOHO Spacecraft Has Discovered Thousands of Comets – What Makes It So Good at It?
The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, a joint mission between the European Space Agency and NASA, was not designed to find comets — its original goal…
Solar and Heliospheric Observatory Captures the Sounds of the Sun
Data from ESA (European Space Agency) and NASA’s Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) has captured the dynamic movement of the Sun’s atmosphere for over 20…
NASA Satellites Recreate Solar CME Eruption in 3D
The more solar observatories, the merrier: Scientists have developed new models to see how shocks associated with coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, propagate from the…
ESA and NASA Satellites Spot the Return of the Comet 96P
The European Space Agency and NASA mission SOHO — short for Solar and Heliospheric Observatory — got a visit from an old friend this week…
Astronomers Detail the Nature of Solar Brightness Variations
For the first time, researchers reconstruct and detail the two phenomena that are responsible for the fluctuation of brightness in our sun. The Sun shines…
SOHO Reveals Evidence of Seismic G-Mode Waves in Our Sun
Using data from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, or SOHO, astronomers have detected a type of wave called g-modes on the Sun. After four decades…