NASA - The National Aeronautics and Space Administration
12/08/2021 | News release | Distributed by Public on 12/08/2021 15:25
Solar Tour Pit Stop #6: L1
Greetings from Lagrange Point 1, or L1, the 6th stop on our solar tour! This is a special place between Earth and the Sun where their gravitational forces are balanced. It's a great spot for spacecraft because they'll stay put between the two objects and orbit with Earth, no fuel required.
Q&A with a solar expert
The spacecraft with us here at L1 play a key role in helping us understand the structure of the Sun. Learn more about studying the Sun from afar with solar scientist Ruizhu Chen.
L1, 25 years on
There's a lot happening on the surface of our Sun, too, and L1 offers a great view of that as well. Equipped with a special tool to see the Sun's outer atmosphere, NASA's SOHO mission has been watching the Sun for over 25 years from L1. Check out this video for a glimpse of our star through the decades.
Keep floatin'
That's a wrap on our time at L1, but in theory we could stay here forever.
We're now halfway through the Solar Tour before our big announcement. Come back tomorrow for our next stop!