NASA - Feature Stories

composite SDO image of sun from April 2012-April 2013

Three Years of SDO Images

Since it first provided images of the sun in spring 2010, SDO has had virtually unbroken coverage of the sun's rise toward solar maximum.

The view of the sun is partially obscured by Earth as seen by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory on Mar. 11, 2013, at 2:20 a.m. EDT.

NASA's SDO Sees an Eclipse And a Transit

On Mar. 11, 2013, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory caught a rare sight on camera: the sun with both Earth and the moon passing in front of it.

On July 19, 2012, an eruption occurred on the sun that produced 3 results; 1) a moderately powerful solar flare, 2) a CME and 3) coronal rain.

SDO Shows A Little Rain On the Sun

On July 19, 2012, the sun treated viewers to one of its dazzling magnetic displays -- a phenomenon known as coronal rain.

White lines represent magnetic field lines looping up out of the sun's surface in this image from SDO's HMI.

Year Three: NASA SDO Mission Highlights

In its third year in space, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) has also offered several new, unexpected doors to scientific inquiry.

Captured by SDO on July 18, 2012, this image has been processed to highlight the edges of each loop and make the structure more clear.

SDO Provides First Sightings of How a CME Forms

On July 18, 20012, scientists used NASA's SDO to see for the first time the formation of something they had long known was at the heart of many eruptive events on the sun: a flux rope.

This collage of solar images from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) shows how observations of the sun in different wavelengths helps highlight different aspects of the sun's surface and atmosphere.

Why NASA Observes the Sun in Different Wavelengths

Specialized instruments in ground-based and space-based solar telescopes, observe light far beyond the ranges visible to the naked eye. Different wavelengths convey information about different components of the sun.

Ultra high-definition TVs – sold for the first time in late 2012 and early 2013 –have four times the pixels of a current high-definition TV, but still have fewer pixels than the images from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO).

NASA's SDO Has Plenty of Content for Ultra HD TVs

A new kind of television made headlines at the 2013 annual Consumer Electronics Show in early January: Ultra High Definition TV. The TV needs content and NASA's SDO has four months worth of sun movies for them.

Six extreme UV images of our sun, from May 2010 to Sept. 2012, as seen by SDO, track the rising level of solar activity as the sun ascends toward the peak of the latest 11-year sunspot cycle.

Solar Variability and Terrestrial Climate →

Researchers now realize even tiny solar variations can have a significant effect on Earth's terrestrial climate.

A gracefully solar eruption as seen by SDO on Dec. 31, 2012.

Solar Ballet on the Sun

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this solar eruption on Dec. 31, 2012, as it rises and falls with the grace and polished movement of a ballet dancer.

Coronagraph image taken by SOHO shows an approaching comet.

Sungrazing Comets as Solar Probes

On Dec. 15, 2011, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured footage of Comet Lovejoy approaching the sun. The images and data collected by NASA's solar observing fleet can help scientists learn more about the sun itself.

Camilla, the rubber chicken and SDO mascot, poses in front of the KSC's Vehicle Assembly Building.

NASA's Cure for a Common Phobia

NASA has found a cure for a common phobia--the fear of asking 'stupid' questions. The cure is a rubber chicken named Camilla.

Left: The sun on Feb. 24, 2011 as observed by SDO.

Heliophysics Nugget: Gradient Sun

Science and art techniques are often quite similar, indeed each area often helps improve techniques in the other. One such case is a technique known as a 'gradient filter' used to examine fine structures on the sun.

During an eclipse, lack of heat from the sun causes the window in front of SDO’s HMI to change shape resulting in a blurry image (left). The right half shows HMI data at its usual high resolution

Getting NASA's SDO into Focus

From Sept. 6 to Sept. 29, 2012, NASA's Solar Dynamic Observatory moved into its semi-annual eclipse season. It takes a little work to re-focus right after the eclipse.

SDO captured this eruption on Oct 4, 2012.

Red Hot Solar Ballet

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this minor eruption on the sun on Oct 4, 2012 as it rises and falls with the grace and polished movement of a ballet dancer.

The faint oval hovering above the upper left limb of the sun in this picture is known as a coronal cavity.

NASA's Solar Fleet Peers Into Coronal Cavities

By understanding the morphology, density and temperature of coronal cavities scientists can better understand eruptions on the sun and the space weather that can disrupt technologies near Earth.

SDO is eclipsed by Earth twice annually. This image is from Sept. 6, 2012.

SDO Enters Its Semiannual Eclipse Season

Twice a year, for three weeks near the equinox, SDO moves into its eclipse season -- a time when Earth blocks its view of the sun for a period of time each day

Still from SDO/EVE calibration rocket launch.

SDO/EVE Sounding Rocket Launches Successfully

Based on the quicklook realtime data, all of the rocket EVE instrument channels appear to have made excellent solar EUV irradiance measurements.

TRACE image of Venus (black dot) during 2004 transit.

SDO to Observe Venus Transit

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) will be watching the June 5, 2012 Venus Transit to help calibrate its instruments as well as to learn more about Venus's atmosphere.

Camilla, the rubber chicken, near the apex of her balloon flight.

Rubber Chicken Flies into Solar Radiation Storm

Last month, when the sun unleashed the most intense radiation storm since 2003, a group of high school students in California knew just what to do; launch a rubber chicken.

An SDO image captured on June 7, 2011, during which an eruption of solar material mushroomed up and fell down to what appeared to be nearly half the sun's surface.

SDO Highlights On Its Second Anniversary

Since SDO's first light in April, 2010, instruments on the spacecraft have continually observed the ever-changing sun on quiet days and explosive ones: observing over 1000 solar outbursts since its launch.

STEREO-B sees plumes turn to cells and back to plumes.

SDO/STEREO Spot Something New On the Sun

Scientists find giant plumes on the sun, newly named "coronal cells" that are over 18,000 miles across, looking like candlesticks on a birthday cake, and might help explain coronal holes.

The sun, rotated 90 degrees counter-clockwise, as seen by SDO.

SDO Goes For a Spin

Twice a year engineers perform a 360 degree roll of the SDO spacecraft about the spacecraft-sun line. This roll maneuver allows the team to remove the instrument optical distortions from the solar limb.

Still from video of Moon passing between SDO and the sun.

Partial Solar Eclipse from Space

The Moon moves between the Solar Dynamics Observatory satellite and the Sun, producing a partial solar eclipse from space.

The Sun As Art

A new interactive NASA art exhibit opens February 9 at the Maryland Science Center in Baltimore that will showcase stunning images of the sun.

Fast-moving protons from a solar energetic particle event cause interference that looks like snow in this image from SOHO.

Classifying Solar Eruptions

NOAA has devised categories for solar flares and storms. The biggest flares are known as 'X-class flares' based on a classification system that divides solar flares according to their strength.

SOHO coronographic image of sun grazing comet seen on July 5 and 6, 2011.

Catching a Comet Death on Camera

On July 6, 2011, a comet was caught doing something never seen before: die a scorching death as it flew too close to the sun. The chance to watch it first-hand amazed even the most seasoned comet watchers.

Screen capture from video of solar magnetic fields with inlaid image of HMI instrument.

SDO Helps Measure Magnetic Fields on the Sun's Surface

A subset of data that helps map out the sun's magnetic fields was recently released from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)

Comet Lovejoy emerges out from behind the suns western limb.

Comet Lovejoy Plunges into the Sun and Survives

An armada of spacecraft witnessed something that many experts thought impossible. Comet Lovejoy flew through the hot atmosphere of the sun and emerged intact.

On left Comet Lovejoy as it approaches the Sun.

Comet Lovejoy -- Many Views

Another view of Comet Lovejoy's solar approach taken by Hinode.

A still from the video shows a compilation of solar data from various instruments on SDO recording a flare on May 5, 2010.

SDO Spots a Late Phase in Solar Flares

Fifteen percent of the flares have a distinct "late phase flare" some minutes to hours later that has never before been observed. This late phase of the flare pumps much more energy out into space than previously realized.

False-colors in this still from a SOHO movie represent acoustic travel-time differences heralding a sunspot as it rises toward the sun's surface in October 2003.

Sunspot Breakthrough

Scientists detected several sunspot regions in the deep interior of the sun, 1-2 days before they appeared on the solar disc.

The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft captured this image of a solar flare -- the third most powerful ever observed in X-ray wavelengths -- as it erupted from the sun early on Tuesday, October 28, 2003.

Solar Flares: What Does It Take to Be X-Class?

Solar flares are giant explosions on the sun that send energy, light and high speed particles into space -- the biggest ones are known as X-class flares.

These jets, known as spicules (boxed), were captured in an SDO image on April 25, 2010.

SDO Spots Extra Energy in the Sun's Corona

Ripples in the sun's magnetic field called Alfven waves have been shown to carry more energy than previously thought, possibly enough to drive the intense heating of the corona and to speed the solar wind to 1.5 million mph.

On the left is the entire Sun as viewed by SDO in 193 Angstrom with area of interest highlighted. On the right are seven zoom-ins of the highlighted area in 2 minute intervals showing the formation of K-H waves in the solar corona.

Surfing on the Sun, as seen by SDO

Cue the surfing music. Scientists have spotted the iconic surfer's wave rolling through the atmosphere of the sun. More than just a nice photo-op, the waves hold clues as to how energy moves through that atmosphere.

SDO captured this nicely rounded prominence eruption from March 19, 2011 as a prominence became unstable and erupted into space with a distinct twisting motion. Prominences are elongated clouds of plasma that hover above the Sun's surface, tethered by magnetic forces.

SDO First Light Anniversary Contest

Voting Ends May 5, 2011.

› Go Vote

A luminous column of white light follows SDO into the sky

Featured Stories

SDO First Light Anniversary Contest