Paper
14 September 2011 The space instrument SODISM, a telescope to measure the solar diameter
M. Meftah, A. Irbah
Author Affiliations +
Abstract
PICARD is a satellite dedicated to the simultaneous measurement of the solar diameter, the solar shape, the solar irradiance and the solar interior. These measurements obtained throughout the mission will allow study of their variations as a function of solar activity. The objectives of the PICARD mission are to improve our knowledge of the functioning of our star through new observations and the influence of the solar activity on the climate of the Earth. PICARD was launched on June 15, 2010 on a Dnepr-1 launcher. SODISM (SOlar Diameter Imager and Surface Mapper), an instrument of the PICARD payload, is a high resolution imaging telescope. It was built on an innovative technological concept. SODISM allows us to measure the solar diameter and shape with an accuracy of a few milliarcseconds, and to perform helioseismologic observations to probe the solar interior. SODISM provides continuous observations of the Sun since mid-July 2010. A brief comparison of measurements of solar diameter since the seventeenth century and solar diameter variability are described. In this article, we present the instrumental concept and design and we give an overview of the thermal stability of the telescope. First results from the SODISM experiment are briefly reported (housekeeping and image).
© (2011) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
M. Meftah and A. Irbah "The space instrument SODISM, a telescope to measure the solar diameter", Proc. SPIE 8146, UV/Optical/IR Space Telescopes and Instruments: Innovative Technologies and Concepts V, 81460Z (14 September 2011); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.891264
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CITATIONS
Cited by 2 scholarly publications.
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KEYWORDS
Telescopes

Mirrors

Sun

Space telescopes

Charge-coupled devices

Prisms

Temperature metrology

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