How have the STEREO observatories obtained the first-ever “stereo” or 3-D views of the sun?
The STEREO mission offers a totally new perspective on solar eruptions by imaging coronal mass ejections and background events from two nearly identical observatories simultaneously. To obtain unique views of the sun, the twin observatories have been placed into a rather challenging orbits where they will be offset from one another. One observatory is placed ahead of Earth in its orbit and the other behind. Just as the slight offset between your eyes provides you with depth perception, this placement allows the STEREO observatories to obtain 3-D images of the sun.
