Balloon-borne solar observatory successfully launched by Göttingen researchers
A helium-balloon carried Solar Observatory of the Göttingen Max-Planck-Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) has successfully taken off in Sweden. The observatory Sunrise III was early morning launched from the Balloon- and Rocket Launch Site Esrange Space Center near the small town Kiruna, as the MPS announced. Carried by a giant helium balloon, the multi-day stratospheric flight now travels along the polar circle over the Atlantic towards Canada.
During the journey, Sunrise III observes a layer of the Sun over 2000 kilometers thick, which extends from just below its visible surface to the upper chromosphere, according to the researchers. The interaction of dynamic magnetic fields and hot plasma streams in this region drives Sun activity. Sunrise III makes these processes and structures visible with extreme spatial resolution and without interruption.
Currently, several large groups of sunspots are visible on the Sun's surface. Such areas could be the origins of solar eruptions, explained the Max-Planck-Institute. The launch of Sunrise III marks the beginning of a worldwide observation campaign. In coordination with Sunrise III, four space probes and ten ground-based solar telescopes will observe the star in the coming days.
"We are incredibly relieved that the launch was successful today and so far everything is running smoothly," explained Sunrise-III project manager Andreas Korpi-Lagg. Several start attempts in late May and early June had to be abandoned due to unfavorable wind and weather conditions, or had to be canceled. A new opportunity for launch presented itself only now.
The concept of a solar observatory carried by a balloon was already successful twice according to MPS. The flights of Sunrise I and Sunrise II provided valuable data in 2009 and 2013. A flight of Sunrise III had to be aborted in 2022 only a few hours after takeoff due to technical difficulties.
- The successful takeoff of Sunrise III occurred from Göttingen Max-Planck-Institute for Solar System Research's (MPS) Solar Observatory in Göttingen, which was transported by a balloon from the Balloon- and Rocket Launch Site Esrange Space Center in Sweden.
- The solar observatory Sunrise III, currently traveling over the Atlantic towards Canada, was initiated from the Observatory in Göttingen, and it is primarily focused on studying the solar activity in a layer of the Sun extending from its visible surface to the upper chromosphere.
- The III version of the Sunrise observatory, originating from the Göttingen MPS, was launched from the Esrange Space Center and is now being utilized by researchers from various countries in their global observation campaign of the Sun, making it the third successful balloon-carried solar observatory project by the institute.
