SOHO LASCO C3: Solar Corona Images from 3 to 30 Solar Radii

1024 x 1024 pixel images of the solar corona captured by the LASCO C3 coronagraph aboard the SOHO spacecraft, covering a field from 3 to 30 solar radii. The data is provided in FITS format by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and was last updated in March 2026. The instrument uses a passively cooled CCD with a spatial resolution of 112 arcseconds and can be scheduled for various observation programs.

Use Cases

• Detecting and tracking coronal mass ejections based on coronagraph imagery.
• Analyzing the structure and dynamics of the solar corona based on calibrated intensity data.
• Studying solar wind acceleration regions based on observations from 3 to 30 solar radii.
• Validating solar physics models based on high-resolution, wide-field coronal images.

Strengths

• Images have a defined spatial resolution of 112 arcseconds for the C3 instrument.
• Data originates from a well-documented, authoritative NASA mission (SOHO/LASCO).
• The instrument uses a 1024 x 1024 pixel CCD, providing a consistent image format.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Captured by the LASCO C3 coronagraph instrument aboard the SOHO spacecraft.

Time Range

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Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 11:20:01.131591; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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