HR: 10:35h
AN: SH41C-02 INVITED     [PDF]
TI: The Solar Mass Ejection Imager (SMEI)
AU: * Simnett, G M
EM: gms@star.sr.bham.ac.uk
AF: School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT United Kingdom
AU: Eyles, C J
EM: cje@star.sr.bham.ac.uk
AF: School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT United Kingdom
AU: Cooke, M P
EM: mpc@star.sr.bham.ac.uk
AF: School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT United Kingdom
AU: Waltham, N R
EM: N.R.Waltham@rl.ac.uk
AF: Space Science Dept., Rutherford-Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, OX11 0QX United Kingdom
AU: King, J M
EM: J.M.King@rl.ac.uk
AF: Space Science Dept., Rutherford-Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, OX11 0QX United Kingdom
AU: Jackson, B V
EM: bvjackson@ucsd.edu
AF: Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences, University of California at San Diego, LaJolla, CA 92093
AU: Buffington, A
EM: abuffington@ucsd.edu
AF: Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences, University of California at San Diego, LaJolla, CA 92093
AU: Hick, P P
EM: pphick@ucsd.edu
AF: Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences, University of California at San Diego, LaJolla, CA 92093
AU: Holladay, P E
EM: Paul.Holladay@hanscom.af.mil
AF: Air Force Research Laboratory/Space Vehicles Directorate (AFRL/VS), Hanscom AFB, Bedford, MA 01731
AU: Anderson, P A
EM: panderson@plh.af.mil
AF: Astronomy Dept, Boston University, Boston, MA 02467
AB: The Solar Mass Ejection Imager (SMEI) has been designed to detect and forecast the arrival of solar mass ejections and other heliospheric structures which are moving towards the Earth. We describe the instrument, which was launched into a Sun-synchronous polar orbit on 6 January, 2003 on board the US DoD Coriolis spacecrafth. SMEI contains three CCD cameras, sensitive over the optical waveband, each with a field-of-view of 60 degrees x 3 degrees. The sensitivity is such that it will detect changes in sky brightness equivalent to a tenth magnitude star in one square degree of sky. Each camera takes an image every 4s and the normal telemetry rate is 128 kbits/s. SMEI has a photometric accuracy of around 0.1%. In addition to solar mass ejections, images of stars and the zodiacal cloud are measured to this photometric accuracy once/ orbit (102 minutes).
UR: http://www.sr.bham.ac.uk
DE: 7513 Coronal mass ejections
DE: 7531 Prominence eruptions
DE: 7594 Instruments and techniques
SC: SPA - Solar and Heliospheric Physics [SH]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting