Science
SORCE
Solar Irradiance Measurement · NASA
Right now
LiveIt moves every second. See exactly where it is — worked out from its orbit, on your own device — on the live 3D globe.
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- Altitude
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The Sun does not output the same amount of energy every day. SORCE — the Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment — made the most precise measurements ever taken of total solar irradiance and the Sun's ultraviolet output. Launched in 2003 and operating for over 17 years, its data showed that solar variability alone cannot explain recent global warming, providing critical evidence for the human role in climate change.
Its orbit
- Orbit
- Low Earth Orbitcan appear as a fast-moving star at dawn or dusk
- Altitude
- 343–358 mi (552–576 km)
- Inclination
- 40.0°
- One orbit
- 95.8 minutes15.0 orbits a day
- NORAD ID
- 27651
- Int’l designator
- 2003-004A
- Launched
- 2003
Orbital elements from CelesTrak, as of 21 Sep 2026.
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