STEREO (Solar Terestrial Relations Observatory): Capturing the Sun in 3-D
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Twin STEREO Observatories in their Orbits

The twin observatories will fly as mirror images of each other to obtain unique "stereo" views of the sun's activities. They must be placed into a rather challenging orbit where they're offset from one another. One observatory will be placed ahead of Earth in its orbit around the sun and the other behind. Just as the slight offset between your eyes provides you with depth perception, this placement will allow the STEREO ob­servatories to obtain 3-D images and particle measurements of the sun.

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"Ahead" and "Behind" Observatories
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"Behind" Observatory
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"Ahead" Observatory
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