Space Mission captures the first 3D image of Sun
A mission to map the Sun's surface has produced the world's first ever three dimensional image of the star.
Two satellites orbiting the Sun perfectly aligned on opposite sides for the first time taking images that when combined create the most complete picture ever of its surface.
Scientists, who include those at Britain's Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire, believe the photo is as significant as those taken of the first men on the Moon and the first ever images of the Earth from outer space.
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It could also mark a significant step forward in "Space weather forecasting" as the satellites can monitor solar winds blasted from the Sun and heading towards Earth.
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The Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) mission, led by NASA, launched its two satellites in 2006 and they have been orbiting the Sun ever since.
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The two satellites are travelling at different speeds and so every few years they achieve 180 degrees of separation on exactly opposite sides of the Sun.