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- MDI
-
- INSTRUMENT
-
- SOI uses the Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI) instrument to probe the interior of the Sun by measuring the
- photospheric manifestation of solar oscillations. MDI records the vertical motion of the Sun's surface at a million
- different points for each minute. Characteristics of the modes reveal the static and dynamic properties of the convection
- zone and core. Knowledge of these properties will improve our understanding of the solar cycle and of stellar
- evolution. Other photospheric observations will contribute to our knowledge of the solar magnetic field. The data are
- partly processed on board because only about 3% of MDI observations can be transmitted continuously to the ground.
- The MDI experiment is able to detect internal motions on scales from a few thousand km near the surface to global
- scales down to the solar core.
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