Mercury Venus Transit Maestro Icon

Solar Observatory Window

The solar observatory will help you know in advance the position of the solar prominences to take better photos. To do just that, you need to access the Solar Observatory window in Mercury Venus Transit Maestro.

  1. Choose Display > Solar Observatory…
    Solar Dynamics Observatory 304 Ångström He II Window
  2. The default view is at 304 ångströms from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) satellite launched in 2010. At this wavelength the prominences are clearly visible. Using the Instrument pop-up menu one can display the same view at 171 ångströms with a clearer view of some field lines or choose the ones from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) satellite, launched in 1995, that give a good idea of the solar corona shape and the possible presence of comets.
    A contextual menu can let you save the current image.
    Solar Observatory Contextual Menu
  3. The view from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) at 171 ångströms.
    Solar Dynamics Observatory 171 Ångström Fe IX Window
    The view from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) at 6768 ångströms.
    Solar Dynamics Observatory Continuum 6768 Ångström Ni I Window
    The view from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) at up to 5 solar radii.
    Solar Heliospheric Observatory LASCO C2 Window
    The view from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) at up to 30 solar radii.
    Solar Heliospheric Observatory LASCO C3 Window

The images from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) are available since 2010 April 16th. The ones from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) since 1996 March 21st.