China's satellite makes break-through in solar eruption research

BEIJING, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- China's first solar exploration satellite has captured the solar Hα spectral line, which can directly reflect the characteristics of solar eruptions, said an official with the China National Space Administration (CNSA) on Friday.

It was the first time the world has seen the solar Hα spectral line in orbit, said Zhao Jian, director of the Earth Observation System and Data Center of the CNSA, at a press conference in Beijing.

"The solar Hα spectral line could only be detected on Earth before, but the data is discontinuous and unstable due to the atmospheric disturbance," Zhao said, adding that these unstable factors can be removed by satellite detection in orbit.

Based on the satellite's high-resolution observation and imaging of the sun, scientists can more accurately obtain the temperature and velocity changes in the solar atmosphere during solar eruptions and provide key data for studying the dynamic process and the physical mechanism of solar eruptions, Zhao explained.

The satellite, Xihe, named after the goddess of the sun who created the calendar in ancient Chinese mythology, was launched into space in October last year.

After more than three months of in-orbit tests and experiments, the satellite has completed more than 40 technical verifications of the satellite platform, and imaged the sun more than 290 times, said Zhao.

A slew of technological and scientific progress achieved by the satellite will be officially released later this year, he added.