Calling SOHO experts - The Sun is MIA

I have a question. I am no expert on space, however I thought soho was supposed to be of the sun, but there doesn't appear to be a sun there right now. Did someone steal the sun? They could have warned us first. Please take a look and let me know

sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov...

[edit on 12-8-2004 by deeprivergal]

I checked outside...It's raining here in the desert...so I can't tell

Could be a calibration image.
Other missions use stars for navigation/positioning purposes..Could be that as well..

Space

[edit on 12-8-2004 by spacedoubt]

Sorry space, but I don't understand what you are saying.

Could be a calibration image.
Other missions use stars for navigation/positioning purposes..Could be that as well..

I don't understand what any of that means.

He means the camera may not be pointed at the sun right now. The sun is still there though.

sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov...

no problem.

Like ancient navigators.
Nasa uses stars, to tell the orientation, and direction
of a spacecraft...Take a picture of a pattern of stars, and you immeditately know
which way your spacecraft is pointing..

FOr calibration: you may want to take a picture of "nothing" every once in a while...This will tell you how well your camera is working, if any pixels are damaged, etc......That way, if you see what you think is a spot on the Sun, you can discount it, knowing that you are actually looking at a bad pixel...

I noticed in the image that you linked, that there were some stars in it...