15 years of Hinode
Figure. Solar images taken with the X-ray Telescope onboard the Hinode satellite in 2006-2021. Each image labeled with a year shows the solar corona in that year. [Credit: NAOJ/JAXA/MSU]
The Solar Observation Satellite Hinode (SOLAR-B) celebrated its 15th anniversary on September 23, 2021. It is the longest record for operating a solar observation satellite in Japan.
Fifteen years is the time period in which an 11-year cycle of solar activity can be observed fully. The figure above shows X-ray images of the Sun taken by the X-ray Telescope (XRT) onboard the Hinode, which exhibit the solar atmosphere with temperature of more than one million degrees, the corona. The 16 images exhibit that the Sun in some years have a bright corona and some years have a dark one. In 2006, the number of sunspots was decreasing and activity was becoming quieter. The activity increased after 2008 and reached its maximum around 2014. Currently, the Hinode spacecraft is witnessing the activity increasing toward the next maximum.
The Hinode satellite was developed in international collaboration led by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and was launched by the M-V Launch Vehicle No. 7 from the Uchinoura Space Center in Kimotsuki Town, Kagoshima on September 23, 2006. The science operations of the Hinode are carrying out in cooperation with NAOJ, JAXA, the United States (NASA), the United Kingdom (STFC), the European Space Agency (ESA) and Norway (NSC). Please look forward to further observations of the Hinode satellite.
Logotype of the 15th anniversary of the Hinode sattelite
Logotype of the 15th anniversary of the Hinode satellite [Credit: NAOJ]
Solar Cycle captured by Hinode/XRT (Solar Corona in 2006-2021)
- Image with lavels of years [Hinode_2006-2021_nologo.png, Hinode_2006-2021_nologo.pdf. ]
- Image without lavels of years [Hinode_2006-2021_nologo_noyear.png, Hinode_2006-2021_nologo_noyear.pdf. ]
Note：The credit of the Hinode_2006-2021 images is "NAOJ/JAXA/MSU".
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