{"id":233305,"date":"2025-06-11T08:15:07","date_gmt":"2025-06-10T22:15:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/image-article\/nasas-codex-captures-unique-views-of-suns-outer-atmosphere\/"},"modified":"2025-06-11T08:15:07","modified_gmt":"2025-06-10T22:15:07","slug":"nasas-codex-captures-unique-views-of-suns-outer-atmosphere","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=233305","title":{"rendered":"NASA\u2019s CODEX Captures Unique Views of Sun\u2019s Outer Atmosphere"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\">\n<div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-wide\">\n<div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\">\n<figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-fit \"><a href=\"https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/content\/dam\/science\/hpd\/solar-physics\/CODEX_TempVid.gif?w=800&#038;h=446&#038;%23038;fit=clip&#038;%23038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint\" rel=\"noopener\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"446\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/content\/dam\/science\/hpd\/solar-physics\/CODEX_TempVid.gif?w=800&#038;h=446&#038;%23038;fit=clip&#038;%23038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"An animated image shows a large, curved area with a rainbow of colors transitioning from red to purple over the course of several seconds. Red, orange, and yellow predominate the bottom of the image when green, blue, and purple are at their lowest coverage. Conversely green, blue, and purple predominate the top of the image when red, orange, and yellow are at their lowest coverage.\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" loading=\"eager\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\">\n<div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">For the first time, scientists can observe temperature changes in the Sun\u2019s outer atmosphere thanks to new technology introduced by NASA\u2019s CODEX instrument. This animated, color-coded heat map shows temperature changes over the course of a couple days, where red indicates hotter regions and purple indicates cooler ones.<\/div>\n<div class=\"hds-credits\">NASA\/KASI\/INAF\/CODEX<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Key Points:<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>NASA\u2019s CODEX investigation captured images of the Sun\u2019s outer atmosphere, the corona, showcasing new aspects of its gusty, uneven flow.<\/li>\n<li>The CODEX instrument, located on the International Space Station, is a coronagraph \u2014 a scientific tool that creates an artificial eclipse with physical disks \u2014 that measures the speed and temperature of solar wind using special filters.<\/li>\n<li>These first-of-their-kind measurements will help scientists improve models of space weather and better understand the Sun\u2019s impact on Earth.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<p>Scientists analyzing data from <a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/mission\/codex\/\" rel=\"noopener\">NASA\u2019s CODEX (Coronal Diagnostic Experiment) investigation<\/a> have successfully evaluated the instrument\u2019s first images, revealing the speed and temperature of material flowing out from the Sun. These images, shared at a press event Tuesday at the American Astronomical Society meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, illustrate the Sun\u2019s outer atmosphere, or corona, is not a homogenous, steady flow of material, but an area with sputtering gusts of hot plasma. These images will help scientists improve their understanding of how the Sun impacts Earth and our technology in space.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe really never had the ability to do this kind of science before,\u201d said Jeffrey Newmark, a heliophysicist at NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and the principal investigator for CODEX. \u201cThe right kind of filters, the right size instrumentation \u2014 all the right things fell into place. These are brand new observations that have never been seen before, and we think there\u2019s a lot of really interesting science to be done with it.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\">\n<div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\">\n<div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\">\n<figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-fit \"><a href=\"https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/hpd\/solar-physics\/CODEX%20coronal%20streamers%20v3.jpg?w=2320&#038;h=1376&#038;%23038;fit=clip&#038;%23038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"2320\" height=\"1376\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/hpd\/solar-physics\/CODEX%20coronal%20streamers%20v3.jpg?w=2320&#038;h=1376&#038;%23038;fit=clip&#038;%23038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"A purple-toned image shows bright white lines, or coronal streamers, extending outward from a dark area in the middle of the picture, where a small image of the Sun is located. To the left of the Sun, a red rectangle with the words \u201ccoronal streamers\u201d highlights the brightest and densest coronal streamers in the image. Three dark, elongated semi-circles fan out from the middle, obscuring much of the background. A sentence at the bottom reads: \u201cThe location and size of the Sun in this image are approximate.\u201d\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\">\n<div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">The Sun continuously radiates material in the form of the solar wind. The Sun\u2019s magnetic field shapes this material, sometimes creating flowing, ray-like formations called coronal streamers. In this view from NASA\u2019s CODEX instrument, large dark spots block much of the bright light from the Sun. Blocking this light allows the instrument\u2019s sensitive equipment to capture the faint light of the Sun\u2019s outer atmosphere.<\/div>\n<div class=\"hds-credits\">NASA\/KASI\/INAF\/CODEX<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>NASA\u2019s CODEX is a solar coronagraph, an instrument often employed to study the Sun\u2019s faint corona, or outer atmosphere, by blocking the bright face of the Sun. The instrument, which is installed on the International Space Station, creates artificial eclipses using a series of circular pieces of material called occulting disks at the end of a long telescope-like tube. The occulting disks are about the size of a tennis ball and are held in place by three metal arms.<\/p>\n<p>Scientists often use coronagraphs to study visible light from the corona, revealing dynamic features, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/sun\/solar-storms-and-flares\/\" rel=\"noopener\">solar storms<\/a>, that shape the weather in space, potentially impacting Earth and beyond.<\/p>\n<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\">\n<div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-wide\">\n<div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\">\n<figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-none \"><a href=\"https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/hpd\/solar-physics\/CODEX-LASCO%20Image%20Comparisons%20v2.jpg?w=6086&#038;h=2272&#038;%23038;fit=clip&#038;%23038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"6086\" height=\"2272\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/hpd\/solar-physics\/CODEX-LASCO%20Image%20Comparisons%20v2.jpg?w=6086&#038;h=2272&#038;%23038;fit=clip&#038;%23038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"Three panels show solar observations from SOHO\/LASCO and CODEX instruments at different scales. The first panel is a wide-field view showing white rays fanning out from the center against a blue background. A smaller, purple image with three large, dark sections and white lines fanning out from the center is overlaid at the center of the blue image and is shown larger in the center panel. A white rectangle outlining some coronal streamers near the top of the center panel expands to the right panel, which shows the corona in a rainbow of colors from red to blue, which relate to temperature. A sentence at the bottom reads: \u201cImage location and size comparisons are approximate.\u201d\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\">\n<div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">NASA missions use coronagraphs to study the Sun in various ways, but that doesn\u2019t mean they all see the same thing. Coronagraphs on the joint NASA-ESA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) mission look at visible light from the solar corona with both a wide field of view and a smaller one. The CODEX instrument\u2019s field of view is somewhere in the middle, but looks at blue light to understand temperature and speed variations in the background solar wind.<br \/>\u00a0<br \/>In this composite image of overlapping solar observations, the center and left panels show the field-of-view coverage of the different coronagraphs with overlays and are labeled with observation ranges in solar radii. The third panel shows a zoomed-in, color-coded portion of the larger CODEX image. It highlights the temperature ratios in that portion of the solar corona using CODEX 405.0 and 393.5 nm filters.<\/div>\n<div class=\"hds-credits\">NASA\/ESA\/SOHO\/KASI\/INAF\/CODEX<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cThe CODEX instrument is doing something new,\u201d said Newmark. \u201cPrevious coronagraph experiments have measured the density of material in the corona, but CODEX is measuring the temperature and speed of material in the slowly varying solar wind flowing out from the Sun.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>These new measurements allow scientists to better characterize the energy at the source of the solar wind.<\/p>\n<p>The CODEX instrument uses four narrow-band filters \u2014 two for temperature and two for speed \u2014 to capture solar wind data. \u201cBy comparing the brightness of the images in each of these filters, we can tell the temperature and speed of the coronal solar wind,\u201d said Newmark.<\/p>\n<p>Understanding the speed and temperature of the solar wind helps scientists build a more accurate picture of the Sun, which is necessary for modeling and predicting the Sun\u2019s behaviors.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe CODEX instrument will impact space weather modeling by providing constraints for modelers to use in the future,\u201d said Newmark. \u201cWe\u2019re excited for what\u2019s to come.\u201d<\/p>\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<p><strong><em>by NASA Science Editorial Team<\/em><\/strong><br \/><strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/goddard\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/goddard\/\" rel=\"noopener\">NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center<\/a>, Greenbelt, Md<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<p><em><em><em>CODEX is a collaboration between NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) with additional contribution from Italy\u2019s National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF).<\/em><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n<div id=\"\" class=\"nasa-gb-align-full width-full maxw-full padding-x-3 padding-y-0 article_a hds-module hds-module-full alignfull wp-block-nasa-blocks-credits-and-details\">\n<section class=\"padding-x-0 padding-top-5 padding-bottom-2 desktop:padding-top-7 desktop:padding-bottom-9\">\n<div class=\"grid-row grid-container maxw-widescreen padding-0\">\n<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-2 padding-right-4 margin-bottom-5 desktop:margin-bottom-0\">\n<div class=\"padding-top-3 border-top-1px border-color-carbon-black\">\n<div class=\"margin-bottom-2\">\n<h2 class=\"heading-14\">Share<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"padding-bottom-2\">\n<ul class=\"social-icons social-icons-round\">\n<li class=\"social-icon social-icon-x\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a 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2.5s-2.48-1.119-2.48-2.5c0-1.38 1.11-2.5 2.48-2.5s2.48 1.12 2.48 2.5zm.02 4.5h-5v16h5v-16zm7.982 0h-4.968v16h4.969v-8.399c0-4.67 6.029-5.052 6.029 0v8.399h4.988v-10.131c0-7.88-8.922-7.593-11.018-3.714v-2.155z\"\/><\/svg><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n<li class=\"social-icon social-icon-rss\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/feed\/\" aria-label=\"Subscribe to RSS feed.\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 800 800\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M493 652H392c0-134-111-244-244-244V307c189 0 345 156 345 345zm71 0c0-228-188-416-416-416V132c285 0 520 235 520 520z\"\/><circle cx=\"219\" cy=\"581\" r=\"71\"\/><\/svg><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-5 padding-right-4 margin-bottom-5 desktop:margin-bottom-0\">\n<div class=\"padding-top-3 border-top-1px border-color-carbon-black\">\n<div class=\"margin-bottom-2\">\n<h2 class=\"heading-14\">Details<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"grid-row margin-bottom-3\">\n<div class=\"grid-col-4\">\n<div class=\"subheading\">Last Updated<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"grid-col-8\">Jun 10, 2025<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-5 padding-right-4 margin-bottom-5 desktop:margin-bottom-0\">\n<div class=\"padding-top-3 border-top-1px border-color-carbon-black \">\n<div class=\"margin-bottom-2\">\n<h2 class=\"heading-14\">Related Terms<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<ul class=\"article-tags\">\n<li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/heliophysics\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Heliophysics<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/category\/universe\/exoplanets\/exoplanet-detection-methods\/coronagraph\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Coronagraph<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/category\/missions\/coronal-diagnostic-experiment-codex\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Coronal Diagnostic Experiment (CODEX)<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/goddard\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Goddard Space Flight Center<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/heliophysics\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Heliophysics Division<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/heliophysics\/focus-areas\/space-weather\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Space Weather<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/sun\/\" rel=\"noopener\">The Sun<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/category\/science-research\/heliophysics\/the-sun-solar-physics\/\" rel=\"noopener\">The Sun &#038; Solar Physics<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Points: Scientists analyzing data from NASA\u2019s CODEX (Coronal Diagnostic Experiment) investigation have successfully evaluated the instrument\u2019s first images, revealing the speed and temperature of material flowing out from the Sun. These images, shared at a press event Tuesday at the American Astronomical Society meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, illustrate the Sun\u2019s outer atmosphere, or corona, [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":1,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17009,17010,15614,15766,15877,16344,16298],"tags":[12280],"class_list":["post-233305","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-coronagraph","category-coronal-diagnostic-experiment-codex","category-goddard-space-flight-center","category-heliophysics","category-heliophysics-division","category-space-weather","category-the-sun-solar-physics","tag-the-sun"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233305","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=233305"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233305\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":233306,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233305\/revisions\/233306"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=233305"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=233305"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=233305"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}