The Solar Mass Ejection Imager (SMEI) Mission

BV Jackson, A Buffington, PP Hick, Christopher Eyles, Mark Cooke, George Simnett, Stephen Tappin

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle

142 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We have launched into near-Earth orbit a solar mass-ejection imager (SMEI) that is capable of measuring sunlight Thomson-scattered from heliospheric electrons from elongations to as close as 18 degrees to greater than 90 degrees from the Sun. SMEI is designed to observe time-varying heliospheric brightness of objects such as coronal mass ejections, co-rotating structures and shock waves. The instrument evolved from the heliospheric imaging capability demonstrated by the zodiacal light photometers of the Helios spacecraft. A near-Earth imager can provide up to three days warning of the arrival of a mass ejection from the Sun. In combination with other imaging instruments in deep space, or alone by making some simple assumptions about the outward flow of the solar wind, SMEI can provide a three-dimensional reconstruction of the surrounding heliospheric density structures.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)177-207
Number of pages31
JournalSolar Physics
Volume225
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2005

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