Multi Element Telescope for Imaging and Spectroscopy (METIS) coronagraph for the solar Orbiter mission

METIS, the Multi Element Telescope for Imaging and Spectroscopy, is a coronagraph selected by the European Space Agency to be part of the payload of the Solar Orbiter mission to be launched in 2017. The unique profile of this mission will allow 1) a close approach to the Sun (up to 0.28 A.U.) thus leading to a significant improvement in spatial resolution; 2) quasi co-rotation with the Sun, resulting in observations that nearly freeze for several days the large-scale outer corona in the plane of the sky and 3) unprecedented out-of-ecliptic view of the solar corona. © 2012 SPIE.