Heliophysics instruments

Heliophysics instruments refer to the equipment used on solar observations of the Sun and its influence on all objects within its heliosphere.

STEREO mission
 (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) is a solar observation mission that uses four types of instruments:

1. —Sun Earth Connection Coronal AND Heliospheric Investigation Comprised of four instruments: an extreme ultraviolet imager, two white-light coronagraphs and a heliospheric imager. These instruments study the 3-D evolution of CME's from birth at the Sun's surface through the corona and interplanetary medium to its eventual impact at Earth. Principal Investigator: Dr. Russell Howard, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C.

2. —Stereo/Waves An interplanetary radio burst tracker that traces the generation and evolution of traveling radio disturbances from the Sun to the orbit of Earth. Principal Investigator Dr. Milan Maksimovic, Observatoire de Paris, Lead U.S. Co-Investigator Dr. Stuart Bale, University of California Space Sciences Laboratory, Berkeley, and Co-Investigator Dr. Robert J. Macdowall, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, lead the investigation.

3. —In-situ Measurements of Particles and CME Transients Samples 3-D distribution and provide plasma characteristics of solar energetic particles and the local vector magnetic field. Principal Investigator: Dr. Janet G. Luhmann, University of California, Berkeley.

4. —Plasma and Suprathermal Ion Composition Provides plasma characteristics of protons, alpha particles and heavy ions. This experiment will provide key diagnostic measurements of the form of mass and charge state composition of heavy ions and characterize the CME plasma from ambient coronal plasma. Principal Investigator: Dr. Antoinette Galvin, University of New Hampshire.