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Hinode (Solar-B) has been placed in a sun-synchronous orbit
around Earth
at an altitude of about 600 km.
A sun-synchronous orbit
is a special type of polar orbit in
which a satellite passes over the same part of the Earth at
roughly the same local time each day.
The image to the left shows an artist's conception of the
polar orbit of Hinode.
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There are two advantages of Hinode's polar orbit:
- the
science instruments can look at the Sun all the time,
- because the satellite passes over the same spot
on Earth at about the same time each day, downloads of data
are much easier.
To see a Quicktime animation of the polar
orbit, click on the image
above (3.05 MB). For an mpeg version (2.82 MB), click
HERE.
Credits -- animation: Goddard Spaceflight Center
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For the most recent location of Hinode, refresh the page. To see the position of Hinode in real-time, click on the image or click HERE.
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Around the summer (northern hemisphere) solstice each year, Hinode will experience an "eclipse season" during which the Sun will be eclipsed by Earth for a maximum of ten minutes in each 98 minute orbit. The first eclipse season is predicted to be May - July, 2007. During eclipse, the Solar Optical Telescope (SOT) will most probably be shut down because of thermal changes (and degradation of data) of the mirror.
For a different example of a polar orbit, go to the
NEXT PAGE.
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