Earth Through the Coronagraph: Our Planet as a 'Guest Star'
It's not every day you see our own planet making a cameo in observations of the sun's corona! NOAA's new coronagraph, CCOR-1, is unexpectedly capturing Earth as it drifts through its field of view, turning our home into a regular "guest star" in its solar movies.
A Celestial Sideways Glance
On August 26th, CCOR-1 caught a remarkable glimpse of North America, with the Great Lakes and city lights clearly visible. But how did Earth, a relatively large celestial body, end up in a coronagraph's view, which is designed to block out the blinding sun to see its faint outer atmosphere?
The Science Behind the Spectacle
The key lies in CCOR-1's unique orbital placement. Unlike previous coronagraphs that operated from distant Lagrange points, CCOR-1 is in a geostationary orbit. This means it circles Earth at the same rate Earth rotates, staying above a fixed point on the equator.
Around the time of the equinoxes, Earth itself slips into a position directly between CCOR-1 and the sun. From CCOR-1's perspective, this means our planet's night side becomes visible, creating these extraordinary images.
Your Daily Dose of Earthrise (from Space)
Earth is now a consistent feature in CCOR-1's solar imagery. If you want to catch a glimpse of our planet as it passes by, keep an eye on the coronagraph's observations daily between 0400 and 0600 UTC. You can find these fascinating images at .
