Heliospheric imager

Wide-field camera for imaging the solar wind in interplanetary space.

Last updated 30 October 2026

A heliospheric imager is a wide-field camera designed to image the solar wind in interplanetary space. It captures visible light scattered by electrons in plasma clouds via Thomson scattering. The signal is extremely faint, requiring extensive post-processing to remove background starfield and zodiacal light. Such instruments are flown in space because Earth's atmosphere interferes with the signal.

Quick Facts

First demonstrated: 1980s via post-processing of HELIOS spacecraft photometer data
Signal brightness: As little as 0.1% of background starfield and zodiacal light

Facts from the source article.

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

Wikipedia: Heliospheric imager (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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