TRACE
Transition Region and Coronal Explorer

small TRACE prominence
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Recent TRACE Press Release

The Sun's corona, or outer atmosphere, is continuosly evolving and changing because the magnetic fields which dominate and shape it are constantly being displaced by the roiling convection on the Sun's surface. The TRACE (Transition Region and Coronal Explorer) satellite, developed by the Stanford-Lockheed Institute for Space Research, will follow the evolution of magnetic field structures from the solar interior to the corona. Solar physicists can then investigate the connections between the fine-scale magnetic fields and associated plasma structures on the Sun, perhaps leading them to understand the mechanisms of the heating of the outer solar atmosphere and the triggers of solar flares and mass ejections.

TRACE will coordinate its observations with SOHO during the rising active phase of the solar cycle. Jointly the two spacecraft provide the opportunity to obtain simultaneous measurements of all the temperature ranges of the solar atmosphere.

Other sources of information on TRACE:
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