I wrote to the SOHO people at GSFC and got a prompt reply regarding the image found here:
http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov//data...318_c3_512.jpg
"Dear Matthew
That image looks rather strange indeed. As these structures are out of focus and moving through a large fraction of the LASCO C3 field of view during the 19 sec exposure time, they must be caused by debris that is moving relatively close in front of the spacecraft.
During the last week we had a lot of "action" on SOHO, with door closures,
thruster firings (station keeping and momentum management maneuvers), a 180 degree roll, and door openings again. Some of the doors are spring-loaded, i.e. they produce quite a "bang" when they open. The MLI (multi-layer-insulation) that is wrapped around the spacecraft and most instruments has become quite brittle over the more than 13 years SOHO has been in orbit. It is therefore quite possible that these structures are caused by a flake of MLI that has come off after a door opening.
These spacecraft maneuvers are also the reason why you can't find images from the 11th to the 13th. During that time, the LASCO doors were closed to protect the sensitive optics of LASCO from contamination during the thruster firings.
Hope this helps.
Best regards,
George Dimitoglou
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So, the people who jump to conclusions and scream that it is a UFO or a nefarious death star are proven wrong. Occam's Razor rules, as usual.
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