The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicProtecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit
Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
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Comparing images of the asteroid Phaethon taken with different filters on SOHO’s LASCO coronograph. On the left, the orange filter reveals the shining asteroid Phaethon with a surrounding cloud and small tail. The brightness of this emission in the orange filter suggests that sodium atoms from the surface of the asteroid fluoresce with an orange glow in response to sunlight, as the asteroid passes close to the Sun at perihelion.
On the right, the blue filter shows no sign of Phaethon, indicating that the light emitted is undetectable in this filter. These images were captured in May 2022. Phaethon is thought to be the parent asteroid of the Geminids meteor shower, which illuminates the night sky every December.