A GROUP of Welsh scientists are among the first to capture a full 360 degree image of the sun – a picture regarded as important as the first of the Earth from outer space.
The portrait, which was created by recording all sides of the star at once, was released to an international group of researchers by US space agency Nasa.
Scientists working on the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (Stereo) project, including a team at Aberystwyth University, say the picture could mark a significant step forward in space weather forecasting as the satellites can monitor solar winds blasted from the Sun and heading towards Earth.
Chris Davis, a project scientist for the British research, said: “The Stereo mission has already shown us some wonderful sights, solar eruptions arriving at the Earth to comets struggling against the solar wind. I’m very excited about this new stage of the mission and am looking forward to many years of unique observations.”
The Stereo mission, led by Nasa, launched its two satellites in 2006 and they have been orbiting the Sun ever since.
The event has been closely monitored by the Solar System Physics Group at Aberystwyth University’s Institute of Mathematics and Physics, which studies the solar wind and the Sun’s effect on the Earth.
It was this group, working with Aberystwyth University spinout company See3D, that generated the first 3-D images of the sun in 2007, using data from Stereo.
The project uses two satellites that are travelling at different speeds and so every few years they achieve 180 degrees of separation.
It was this precise moment on Sunday, when both satellites were on exact opposite sides of the star, that led to the image of the Sun being recorded.
Dr Andy Breen, from Aberystwyth University, said: “For the very first time we will be able to see the whole of the Sun at the same time. It will give us a new perspective on activity on the Sun, particularly the solar eruptions which can launch coronal mass ejections.
“These ejections are massive bursts of material moving out through the solar wind. If they strike the Earth they can knock out satellites, distort the accuracy of GPS systems, and even cause power grids to fail in extreme conditions.
“It is the interaction of disturbances in the solar wind with the Earth’s magnetic field that causes the spectacular phenomenon of the northern lights.
“Until now, the longest we have been able to monitor one event on the surface of the Sun is 14 days. Now that we can see the whole of the Sun all of the time we will be able to follow an active region from the moment it forms, to see how it evolves, and then ultimately dies.”
Britain’s Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL), funded by the Science and Technology Facilities Council and the UK Space Agency, has also played a critical role in the Nasa-led project.
Professor Richard Harrison, a solar scientist at the RAL, said: “It’s not a novelty. There are some real reasons why we want to observe the Sun in its entirely.
“You can’t look at one little bit of the Sun and hope to understand it.
“If you want to understand the Sun you’ve got to look at the big picture.
“The Sun is a truly complex object which influences many aspects of our lives.”