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Summary Two US spacecraft have moved either side of the Sun to establish observing positions that should return remarkable new information about our star. Launched in 2006, the Stereo satellites have gradually been drifting apart - one in front of the Earth in its orbit, the other lagging behind.
On Sunday, Nasa said the spacecraft had arrived at points that put the Sun directly between them. It will give solar physicists the first 360-degree view of our star. Stereo is short for Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory. The mission is studying the Suns great explosive events that hurl billions of tonnes of charged particles at Earth - events that can disrupt power grids and satellites. These Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs), as they are known, can also be hazardous to astronauts in space.
