The SWOOPS ion spectrometer Courtesy of Los Alamos National Laboratory

SWOOPS is making a map of the solar wind within the heliosphere. The heliosphere is the area in space that contains the Earth, the planets and the solar wind as far as it reaches. After SWOOPS is done, we'll have the best 3-D map of the solar wind within heliosphere that we have ever had!

Sometimes solar wind can cause space weather storms that can affect our satellites and our life on Earth. So, we need to know all about the solar wind. SWOOPS is helping us do just that.

The SWOOPS ion spectrometer Courtesy of Los Alamos National Laboratory

You see, the SWOOPS experiment measured the solar plasma as Ulysses flew past Jupiter and it is measuring the solar plasma in its special orbit around the Sun. This will give us the best 3-D map of the solar plasma (solar wind) within heliosphere that we have ever had!

SWOOPS is actually made up of two instruments, the ion spectrometer and the electron spectrometer. The ion spectrometer measures the positive ions within the solar wind and the electron spectrometer measures the electrons within the solar wind.

SWOOPS measurements determine the speed, direction, temperature and density of the solar wind flow.

The most important contribution from SWOOPS is that this instrument is helping us to map the solar wind flow throughout the heliosphere. Disturbances in the solar wind can produce space weather storms that can affect our satellites and our life on Earth. In order to better understand and predict these space weather events, we need to understand the Earth's surroundings. SWOOPS is helping us do just that.

The SWOOPS ion spectrometer Courtesy of Los Alamos National Laboratory

The Solar Wind Plasma Experiment on Ulysses is actually made up of two instruments, the ion spectrometer and the electron spectrometer. The ion spectrometer measures the positive ions within the solar wind and the electron spectrometer measures the free electrons within the solar wind. That way, solar wind electrons and ions can be measured simultaneously.

SWOOPS measurements determine the speed, direction and density of the solar wind flow. The measurements also map the ion and electron temperatures. From these, things like mass flux, momentum flux and solar wind pressure can be derived.

SWOOPS measurements have led to the discovery of a new class of solar wind disturbances. These forward-reverse shock pairs found in high latitudes are driven by the over-expansion of CME's. Perhaps most importantly, SWOOPS has helped us fill in the holes to mapping the solar wind flow throughout the heliosphere. Solar wind disturbances are capable of producing space weather events that can affect our satellites and our life on Earth. In order to better understand and predict these space weather events, we need to understand the Earth's surroundings. SWOOPS is helping us do just that.