Observing the inner heliosphere from new perspectives

Abstract

In the solar corona, the density scale height is large, a considerable fraction of a solar radius. Because of this, observations of the Sun from a single vantage point produce images which show an unavoidable overlapping of many structures along the line of sight. This makes it difficult, and sometimes impossible, to determine the true nature of the feature being observed. This difficulty can be overcome by obtaining simultaneous observations from multiple vantage points. Using these observations, and a reconstructions process similar to that used in medical imaging applications, the true three-dimensional nature of the solar corona can be deduced. The same process can be used to follow the formation of coronal mass ejections (CME's) in the low corona and the propagation of CME's through interplanetary space.