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--- science:imofmonth [2025/07/03 09:53] – etienne
+++ science:imofmonth [2025/09/08 16:54] (current) – etienne
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 ===== Images of the month =====
+=== August 2025 ===
+<columns 100% l >
+<html> <a href="https://www.themis.iac.es/lib/exe/fetch.php?media=science:gallery:protu:limbprominenceobservation_20250506_withandwithoutao.jpg
+"> <img src="https://www.themis.iac.es/lib/exe/fetch.php?media=science:gallery:protu:limbprominenceobservation_20250506_withandwithoutao.jpg
+" alt="Prominence Halpha observations at limb: Adaptive Optics comparison" style="width: 80%; height: auto;"></a></html> \\
+During the 2025 observation campaign of Brigitte Schmieder and Arek Berlicki, THEMIS targeted a small prominence. Prominence are emitting structures that can be observed at the solar limb, beyond the outer edge of the Sun's disk. Prominences and filaments are two aspects of an unique physical feature: a domain of cold chromosphere like plasma, magnetically confined in the much hotter solar corona. While this structure appears as dark when seen in contrast with the disk, and is then called a filament, it appears bright in contrast to the plane of sky. As a magnetised structure filament/prominence can erupt, releasing plasma and material toward the solar system. Understanding how the magnetic structure them is fundamental to comprehend their stability or lack off.
+THEMIS is mainly a [[technical:mtr2 | scanning spectrograph instrument]], i.e. a very thin slit scans the region of interest, in order to obtain high resolution spectrograms. THEMIS images are thus reconstructed. While scanning, THEMIS is thus very sensitive to the effect of turbulence and the reconstructed image have necessarily a lower resolution that direct imaging. On the other hand, THEMIS can deliver simultaneous images at different wavelength.
+While adaptive optics can generally be used to significantly improve on disc observations, such as with our own [[technical:tao|Themis AO]], AOs fail when trying to observe over the limb because no structure there can be tracked by the AO. Recently our colleagues of the U.S. National Science Foundation National Solar Observatory and New Jersey Institute of Technology, observed [[https://nso.edu/press-release/new-adaptive-optics-shows-stunning-details-of-our-stars-atmosphere/ | beautiful prominence dynamics]] with the Goode Solar Telescope thanks to their [[https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-025-02564-0 |new coronal adaptive optics]] in a direct imaging approach.
+At THEMIS, during our 2025 campaign we tried a different approach. While we were scanning a prominence at the limb, we use TAO on an offset region which is close to the limb while still on the disc. TAO is a simple AO which isoplanatic region (region where most of the AO correction is done) is limited. Since the isoplanatic region and the region of scientific interest are far away, the AO correction may be limited at the prominence. We were however very please to see that TAO still provide significant improvements. As can be seen in this image of the month, the turbulence induced motions (in the direction of the slit) which are present when TAO is off, are strongly reduced when TAO is switched on. The limb appears much smoother and the prominence better resolved.
+\\
+</columns>
+=== July 2025 ===
+<columns 100% l >
+<html> <a href="https://www.themis.iac.es/lib/exe/fetch.php?media=science:gallery:instrumentation:spectro_with_light.png"> <img src="https://www.themis.iac.es/lib/exe/fetch.php?media=science:gallery:instrumentation:spectro_with_light.png" alt="A peek inside THEMIS MTR2 spectrograph" style="width: 40%; height: auto;"></a></html> \\
+If one could sneak inside [[technical:mtr2 | MTR2 spectrograph]] while THEMIS is observing, this is what one would see looking down. The picture shows the beautiful work of decomposing the white solar light into small ranges of electromagnetic spectrum that are of interest for researchers to study the physical properties of the Sun. \\
+The white light beam coming from the THEMIS telescope (white light on the left) is first decomposed in a low resolution spectrum (rainbow on the middle left). A rigid mask placed on the light path, enables to select several bands within the solar spectrum that will be analysed (overlapping orange and red patch on the middle right). Finally, an echelle grating enables to strongly increase the dispersion (spacing) of the spectral domains of interest (separated and extended red and orange patch on the right). There spectral cameras are placed to record the high resolution spectrum.
+With its a spectral resolving power, R, of about 200 000-300 000, THEMIS MTR2 spectrograph has one of the world's best resolving power in astrophysics. MTR2 has the ability to distinguish between two wavelengths separated by a small amount. THEMIS theoretical can produce simultaneously up to eight high resolution spectrograms (although most cases, only 2-4 are requested). The choice of wavelength domains is not pre-imposed to the visiting research scientist observing with THEMIS. The choice is left to the investigators, giving them a high level of freedom to study [[https://www.themis.iac.es/doku.php?id=science:objectives | diverse topics in solar physics]].
+\\
+</columns>
 === June 2025 ===