Hello Helio

Artist's Impression of Solar Orbiter   (Fair Use)

Rock and rollers have sung about great balls of fire for years, but we still don’t know much about the one that keeps us all alive.

NASA and the European Space Agency have therefore launched the Solar Orbiter, which will study our nearest star in ways that haven’t been done before.  Instruments on board will “capture data on the Sun’s magnetic field, atmosphere, flares and more.”

Such information can be vital to the well-being of astronauts, as well as to that of Planet Earth. It can help us to offset the dangers of “solar maximum, sunspots and solar flares.”  The Solar Orbiter is expected to reach its vantage point near the Sun in approximately two years.    

Resources

https://www.engadget.com/2020/02/10/nasa-solar-orbiter-successful-launch/?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmluZy5jb20vc2VhcmNoP3E9U29sYXIrT3JiaXRlcitzdW4rcG9sZXMmZmlsdGVycz10blRJRCUzYSUyMjAxRTY4RjMzLTVBODItNDM1Yy05Qjk3LTFENjk4MkZBM0I5RiUyMit0blZlcnNpb24lM2ElMjIzMzg4ODA1JTIyK3NlZ21lbnQlM2ElMjJwb3B1bGFybm93LmNhcm91c2VsJTIyK3RuQ29sJTNhJTIyMTQlMjIrdG5PcmRlciUzYSUyMmI4OThiMDgyLWRlMzMtNDFmNS1hMTljLTA1NzhkMGFiNGM2OSUyMiZGT1JNPUJTUE4wMSZjcnNsc2w9MTI5NiZlZmlyc3Q9OQ&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAACkpbFuo_u8-oQgX33WoE1_rvJw5d2pghrbywnYaQKfZe1tggh20C6ZqekwFHhqNp3OEx5nDptJPU392K4ZGUkFilaahJ9Oo9w0v2M-eFqKfKdZlG6UcfYkhmZ5458UGq1kr0kBQWyyaxmfCipK-F_mFAq4-Y2Xh8EyEK8HlGllq 

Copyright February 10, 2020 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved