Stereoscopic Observations of Solar Hard X-Ray Flares Made by ULYSSES and YOHKOH

Abstract

The Solar X-Ray/Cosmic Gamma-Ray Burst Experiment aboard the interplanetary spacecraft Ulysses has provided extensive observations of solar hard X-ray flares from a variety of angles with respect to the Sun-Earth line. During the period 1991 October-1993 June, Ulysses observed 13 flares that were also observed by the X-ray instruments aboard the Japanese satellite Yohkoh located near Earth. At least 12 flares were in full view of both the spacecraft. Eight flares, for which hard X-ray spectra were available, are examined to determine the directivity of the 20-125 keV hard X-ray sources in solar flares. They include one flare for which the view angles of Ulysses and Yohkoh were 80° and 25°, respectively. No evidence of systematic directivity was found within the uncertainty (a factor of ~2) of these measurements. These and other observations of directivity at higher energies are consistent with a nearly isotropic distribution of energetic electrons in most solar flares.