SOHO is unlike any other satellite as it does not orbit the Earth. Instead SOHO is 1.5 million kilometres away from Earth towards the Sun. It orbits around a point in space called the L1 Point. At this location the orbital and gravitational forces (from the Sun and Earth) felt by the spacecraft balance out. It took about three months for SOHO to reach the L1 point.

Click on the images below to see a:


movie of SOHO's
launch in
December 1995.
movie of SOHO's
solar panels
unfolding.

movie of SOHO's
journey to
the L1 point.
movie of the path
SOHO made to
arrive at the L1 point.

SOHO revolves around the Sun just as the Earth does. Therefore, SOHO is able to observe the Sun all the time.

SOHO is operated from the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center close to Washington DC, the capital of the United States of America. At a special Spacecraft Operations Building, SOHO is controlled and looked after 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.


Image credit VR Mall.
 SOHO really is ``hands on science''. At the moment you are sitting in front of your computer. You click on an image or web-link and it appears. Well it is much the same with SOHO!

Several of the instruments on SOHO can operate in ``real-time''. Special computer programmes are sent up to SOHO from a large radio antenna. SOHO takes an image and you can see it on your computer only a few minutes later!

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