http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/02/ ... ntire-sun/ NASA
Releases First 360-Degree View of Entire Sun February 06, 2011
NASA has released the first 360-degree view of the entire sun
today, just in time for Super Bowl Sunday. The photo comes
courtesy of NASA's twin STEREO (Solar TErrestrial RElations
Observatory) spacecraft, which aligned exactly opposite each
other on opposite sides of the sun to capture the image. The
ability to see the whole sun, front to back, will allow
scientists to better understand complicated solar weather
patterns and plan for future robotic or crewed spacecraft
missions throughout the solar system, researchers said. "The sun
is a truly complex object which influences many aspects of our
lives," Richard Harrison, principal investigator for the U.K.
instruments on STEREO, said in a statement. "In the same way
that you would not expect to understand the workings of the
brain by studying just a small part of it, a global
investigation into the nature of our star as a complete object