Residents of the solar system, we are now looking for a name for the "Advanced Space-Based Solar Observatory" that humans are about to launch.

"The sun is just the primary puzzle of the universe"

The mysteries of the sun will eventually be revealed one by one by humans.

Weight 888KG,

Operating in a sun-synchronous orbit at 720 km,

Full disk vector magnetograph,

Lyman-Alpha Solar Telescope,

Solar Hard X-ray Imager,

Carrying 3 payloads,

Design life is more than 4 years,

The development time is more than 5 years.

It was independently proposed by Chinese solar physicists.

China's first comprehensive solar exploration satellite,

Set sail towards the light, and follow the sun.

Seeking between the sun and the earth,

It is

Advanced Space-Based Solar Observatory
Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory

Advanced Space-Based Solar Observatory satellite rendering

Taking advantage of the peak year of the 25th solar activity cycle,

It will investigate the two most violent eruptions on the Sun:
Solar flares and coronal mass ejections,

and simultaneous observation of the full disk vector magnetic field,

Studying "One Magnetic Field and Two Storms"

That is, the solar magnetic field, solar flares and coronal mass ejections

Origins, interactions and interrelationships,

It also provides support for severe space weather forecasts.

Advanced Space-Based Solar Observatory satellite rendering

This space science satellite

By the Chinese Academy of Sciences Space Science (Phase II)

Pilot project deployment and development,

In October 2022,

Launched into space from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center,

Expand to the sun

This planet is closely related to human survival.

Hot stars still not fully understood

A journey of discovery.

Advanced Space-Based Solar Observatory LOGO

"Wukong", "Shijian-10", "Mozi", "Huiyan"

"Taiji No. 1", "Huairou No. 1", "Smile Project"

China's space science satellite series "big family"

I believe you must be familiar with it.

Now,

We sincerely invite you,

For the upcoming launch

Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory (ASO-S)

Give yourself a Chinese nickname.

Make your name creative.

Travel through the solar system with the satellite.

Continuing the Chinese tradition of naming satellites

Poetic and romantic,

Inherit mankind’s spirit of scientific exploration and humanistic feelings.

Please read before naming.

The following is an explanation of the scientific objectives of the Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory (ASO-S)

The sun is the star that is most closely related to us and the only star that can be studied in detail. It brings us light and warmth, but it also has a significant impact on the earth. my country's first comprehensive solar exploration satellite, the Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory (ASO-S), which will be launched in October 2022, will reveal the formation and relationship between the solar magnetic field, solar flares and coronal mass ejections ("one magnetic field and two storms").

Sun, here we come!

About 4.6 billion years ago, on a spiral arm about 26,000 light-years from the center of the Milky Way, a molecular cloud began to collapse under its own gravity and gradually formed the sun we are familiar with today.

From ancient times to the present, the sun has aroused a lot of thinking among human beings. We are full of curiosity about this dazzling star: Why does it shine? Does it exist forever? What is its structure? What are its significant characteristics? What impact will it have on the earth? In order to answer these questions, scientists have not only developed corresponding theoretical foundations, but also built or launched various detectors to gradually unveil the mystery of the sun.

ASO-S Science Objectives

A careful look at the Sun (never look directly at it at any time, not even during a solar eclipse) will reveal a wealth of phenomena. Some of the most striking features include:

Sunspots: These are dark spots on the surface of the sun, which are essentially caused by strong magnetic fields and low temperatures. As early as 2,000 years ago, there were records of sunspots in ancient China. In 1610, Galileo confirmed the existence of sunspots when he observed the sun with a homemade telescope. After hundreds of years of continuous observation and statistics, we can clearly see the periodic changes in the number and location of sunspots, which is the famous 11-year activity cycle of the sun.

Solar flare: This is an intense burst of radiation that is very bright and can last from minutes to hours. Flares are the most violent explosive events in the solar system, emitting light with wavelengths spanning the entire electromagnetic spectrum (from radio waves to gamma rays).

Coronal mass ejections: The sun's outer atmosphere, the corona, can suddenly and violently release plasma and magnetic fields. A large coronal mass ejection can contain billions of tons of material accelerated to extremely high speeds into space, potentially colliding with any planets or spacecraft on its way.

Image gallery: Coronal mass ejections - ESA & NASA / SOHO, Solar flares - SDO, Sunspots - NSO / AURA / NSF

Whether it is sunspots, solar flares or coronal mass ejections, their root cause is the solar magnetic field. The changing solar magnetic field can not only produce sunspots in the photosphere, but also trigger flares and coronal mass ejections. The solar magnetic field, flares and coronal mass ejections are collectively referred to as "one magnetic field and two storms", which is also the main scientific goal of the ASO-S satellite.

ASO-S satellite science objectives. | Image: NASA/SDO/AIA/LMSAL

What impact does the sun's activity have on the earth?

Although the sun is an average of 150 million kilometers away from the earth, once the sun "shows its power", the magnetic clouds produced by flares and coronal mass ejections will carry a large number of charged high-energy particles straight to the earth, causing serious damage to the earth's environment, especially the electromagnetic environment that is closely related to modern life.

During Halloween in 2003, the sun played the role of a "troublemaker" and caused great trouble to the earth, causing varying degrees of damage to a series of scientific satellites in Europe and the United States, such as GOES, ACE, SOHO and WIND, leading to interference with global satellite communications, affecting the GPS global positioning system, and causing deviations in positioning accuracy, causing varying degrees of paralysis of some ground and space transportation systems that require instant communication and positioning. This solar event is also known as the "Halloween Storm."

In view of these circumstances, it is very necessary to continuously monitor solar activity. According to calculations, once a solar flare, coronal mass ejection or other explosive activity occurs, scientists can get information at least 40 hours in advance, so as to take relevant protective measures in time to avoid damage to the human living environment.

What scientific payloads does the ASO-S satellite carry?

The sun emits light of different wavelengths, but the earth's atmosphere is not transparent to all wavelengths. Only visible light and infrared light, as well as limited ultraviolet light and radio radiation can be observed on the ground, which only account for a small part of the broad solar radiation spectrum. Therefore, only by launching detectors into space, avoiding the influence of the earth's atmosphere, and studying the sun from various wavelengths, can a complete picture be drawn.

Using telescopes in different wavelengths on the ground and in space, we can study different details of the sun. | Image source: The University of Chicago

The three payloads of the ASO-S satellite will be used to measure the solar magnetic field and observe coronal mass ejections and solar flares:

After the successful launch of ASO-S, it will record in detail the "solar storm" of the 25th solar activity cycle. After the satellite enters orbit, it will generate about 500GB of detection data every day. All scientific data and analysis software of the satellite will be open to global users for sharing, so as to jointly achieve the scientific goals of ASO-S. By then, the research on the observation results of ASO-S will become an international hot spot. While studying the natural laws of "one magnetic field and two storms", scientists will also timely predict the impact of solar eruptions on humans, which will benefit all mankind.