Transition Region and Coronal Explorer

sunspotA sunspot as viewed in ultraviolet light by the TRACE spacecraft.

Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE), U.S. satellite designed to study the solar corona. It was launched on April 2, 1998, from a Pegasus launch vehicle from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. TRACE carried a 30-cm (12-inch) telescope and observed the Sun in ultraviolet wavelengths. It circled Earth in a polar orbit that kept TRACE always in sunlight. TRACE was designed to work in conjunction with the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), TRACE providing high-resolution images and SOHO providing lower-resolution but wide-area images.

Venus orbiting the Sun
Venus orbiting the SunVenus crossing the Sun in an image captured by NASA's TRACE (Transition Region and Coronal Explorer) satellite from Earth orbit.

TRACE revealed a much more dynamic solar corona than had previously been known. Structures in the corona were seen to change over a period of minutes. TRACE also showed that the coronal loops were heated at their base rather than uniformly throughout their height. The TRACE mission ended on June 21, 2010.

Erik Gregersen
Citation Information
Article Title: Transition Region and Coronal Explorer
Website Name: Encyclopaedia Britannica
Publisher: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Date Published: 20 March 2023
URL: https://www.britannica.comhttps://www.britannica.com/topic/Transition-Region-and-Coronal-Explorer
Access Date: November 21, 2024