The First Results from SOHO
Publication date: 02 July 1996
Authors: Domingo, V., Fleck, B. & Poland, A.
Journal: ESA Bulletin
Volume: 87
Year: 1996
Copyright: ESA
SOHO, launched by an Atlas II-AS from Cape Canaveral on 2 December 1995, was inserted into its halo orbit around the L1 Lagrangian point on 14 February, six weeks ahead of schedule. The launch and the orbital manoeuvres were so accurate and efficient that sufficient fuel remains on board to maintain the halo orbit for more than a decade, i.e. for at least twice as long as originally foreseen. Already during their commissioning phase, the SOHO experiments have returned a wealth of data, impressive in terms of both its quality and diversity. Some of the images can be viewed via the SOHO pages (http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov) on the World Wide Web, and on the individual experiment pages, all with links from the SOHO home page. Typical examples of the unique results being obtained with SOHO's instruments are presented here. Although they have been obtained with single instruments, it is worth noting that the main scientific advances from SOHO are expected to come from the joint analysis of coordinated observations.
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