Picard sees the Sun

Successfully launched on 15 June, the Picard satellite belonging to the French space agency, CNES has produced its first image of the Sun. More accurately, it was one of its 3 onboard instruments, SODISM (SOlar Diameter Imager and Surface Mapper), which took this picture of the Sun on 22 July. A group of solar spots can clearly be seen in the lower left of the photograph. SODISM is an 11cm diameter telescope fitted with a CCD sensor which also aims to get very precise measurements of our star’s diameter, a diameter which could vary depending on its activity. Such measurements could help determine whether the energy “highs and lows” of the Sun affect Earth’s climate (an issue of some debate).

Enjoy Space article about Picard

The commented image on Picard’s scientific website (CNES)

Published 29 July 2010

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