Solar Photosphere White Light Images from Spacelab 2 Mission

Digitized white light images of solar features were captured by the SOUP instrument aboard the STS-51F/Spacelab 2 mission in July-August 1985. The dataset includes processed images of solar pores, sunspots, upwellings, active region AR 4682, and limb structures. Data was digitized from film by the investigator team and deposited at NSSDC.

Use Cases

• Analyze granulation patterns and exploding granules using sequences of 256 x 256 pixel images.
• Measure horizontal velocity fields and flow patterns by tracking features across registered image time-series.
• Study the role of 5-minute solar oscillations in photospheric structures using the processed image data.
• Characterize the morphology and evolution of specific targets like sunspots and active region AR 4682.
• Validate image processing and feature detection algorithms on historical, calibrated solar imagery.

Strengths

• Data originates from a dedicated space-based observatory (Spacelab 2), minimizing atmospheric distortion.
• Images underwent specific processing including flat-field correction, dark current subtraction, and registration for solar rotation.
• Final processed images are provided in a consistent 256 x 256 pixel format.

Limitations

• Temporal coverage is limited to a single mission in 1985, providing a snapshot rather than long-term monitoring.
• Image resolution was reduced from an original 512 x 512 digitization to 256 x 256 pixels via averaging.
• The sample size is constrained by the mission's film-based data collection and specific observational targets.

Provenance

Source

Solar Optical Universal Polarimeter (SOUP) experiment, investigator team, deposited at NASA's National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC).

Collection Method

Images recorded on film during the STS-51F/Spacelab II mission, later digitized and processed frame-by-frame.

Time Range

July to August 1985.

Freshness

Data is from 1985; it is a historical archive with no planned updates.

Geography

Observations of the Sun from space.