Well, here’s something you don’t all see day.
On November 18, 2020, the Solar orbiter managed to capture three of the eight planets in our solar system in a single frame, according to a European Space Agency statement. The resulting four-second film was joined from a series of captured still images 22 hours.
Venus is the largest and brightest object, followed by Earth and then Mars at the bottom right of the box. What is particularly interesting from this point of view is that the probe looks back at the solar system as it moves away from the Sun and toward Venus.
When the photos were taken, Solar Orbiter was 30 million miles (48 million km) from Venus, 156 million miles (251 million km) from Earth, and 206 million miles (332 million km). of March. The Sun is out of frame at the bottom right, but its glow is clearly visible.
The space probe, a collaboration between NASA and the European Space Agency, was on its way to Venus for gravitational help when the images were taken using its Heliospheric Imager (SoloHI) camera. Solar Orbiter finally passed over Venus on December 27th. A constant diet of flybys with Earth and Venus will bring the probe closer to the Sun. and also tilts its axis of orbit so that it can observe the Sun from different angles.
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Launched in February 2020 and equipped with 10 different instruments, Solar Orbiter is a mission to study the Sun up close. The closest images of the Sun, taken last July, were unknown until now. “bonfires”On the surface of our star, discovering stellar processes that I only dreamed of in theory.
The probe also studies nearby conditions, that is, the solar wind or charged particles coming out of the Sun toward the Sun. space. The resulting data will help scientists predict the inclement weather that may be harmful communications and technology on Earth.