Solar Dynamics Observatory - Spacecraft Animation [720p]

The NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, was launched last year, and the three instruments aboard SDO are providing a wealth of data about the highly variable sun. The Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager, or HMI instrument, is measuring the magnetic fields on the sun and the oscillations at the surface that enable viewing deeper into the sun. The Atmospheric Imaging Assembly, or AIA instrument, obtains high-resolution coronal images at multiple wavelengths in the ultraviolet. The Extreme ultraviolet Variability Experiment, or EVE instrument, observes the solar spectra over the full extreme ultraviolet range with high spectral resolution.

credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/CI Lab