The Compact Ionosphere Probe (CIP) will take in-situ measurements of ion density, composition, temperature, velocity, and electron temperature. There are two payloads aboard with two different science objectives. The microsat has a mission specific structure fitting on a PSLV ring deployer. The XRT also photographs the sun faster and with better resolution and greater sensitivity than previous grazing-incidence X-ray instruments.The International Satellite Program in Research and Education’s (INSPIRE) first satellite is an Ionosphere and Solar X-ray observing microsat slated for launch in November of 2019 onboard an ISRO Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle. Most solar X-ray telescopes observe lower-energy radiation. Unlike instruments on TRACE and other dedicated solar observatories, the XRT is a "grazing incidence" telescope capable of studying so-called "soft" X-rays. Ultimately, the knowledge gained from the XRT and Hinode's other two instruments may help astronomers to forecast solar eruptions and the associated "space weather." Such forecasts would help protect astronauts as well as satellites and automated spacecraft. The XRT has uncovered new details in active regions, including gigantic arcing magnetic structures that dwarf the underlying sunspots. Active regions are the sources of solar eruptions. Solar astronomers are particularly interested in studying active regions - the areas of strong magnetic fields surrounding sunspots. "With the XRT, we can see them clearly for the first time." "Theorists suggested that twisted, tangled magnetic fields might exist," says Golub. ![]() That energy heats the corona and powers solar eruptions like flares and coronal mass ejections. When those complicated magnetic structures relax to simpler configurations, a huge amount of energy is released. It spied twisted and tangled magnetic fields that store huge amounts of energy. The XRT has provided the first clear view of the possible energy source for the corona. The sun's surface is only 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit, while the corona is more than 100 times hotter. The energy source that heats the corona is a puzzle. Gas in the solar corona reaches temperatures of millions of degrees. The XRT collects X-rays emitted from the sun's corona - the hot, tenuous outer layer that extends from the sun's visible surface into the inner solar system. Golub presented these findings today at a NASA Space Science Update in Washington, D.C. "Everything we thought we knew about X-ray images of the sun is out of date." For that reason alone, the mission is already a success," says Leon Golub, senior astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. "We've seen many new and unexpected things. ![]() Already, stunning X-ray views from the XRT are surprising astronomers and revealing new secrets about the sun. One of three instruments on board Hinode is the X-Ray Telescope (XRT), which was developed and built by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. The recently launched Hinode spacecraft is one of the latest observatories to probe the sun from afar. Credit: JAXA/NASA/SAOĮven though the sun is the closest star to Earth and has been studied for hundreds of years, it still holds surprises. In comparison, the X-Ray Telescope sees a detailed structure composed of discontinuous, distinguishable threads highly interwoven with the surrounding plasma. ![]() Similar photos taken previously by the Yohkoh spacecraft showed only a continuous, S-shaped formation. This image shows the magnetic field structure of active region 10940 as it nears the limb (visible edge) of the Sun. Some imagine the shape of a swan in this recent photograph of a portion of the sun's surface taken with the X-Ray Telescope on board the Hinode spacecraft.
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